Chapter 34: Li Qingran, You’re So Foolish
The suspected theft of a pill belonging to an inner disciple of Chixiao Peak was no small matter. Moreover, the top-grade Heart Protection Pill, worth over ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones, was no ordinary item. To purchase this pill, Xiao Yifeng had exhausted all his connections, borrowing from everyone he could. He thought that as an alchemist, he could easily repay the debt if he could just master the art of refining the top-grade Heart Protection Pill.
When asked when the pill had gone missing, Xiao Yifeng stammered, only able to say that the Heart Protection Pill had vanished from his storage pouch. He had kept the pouch on him at all times since returning from the mountain and had even checked it upon entering the Qingyun Sect. Yet, the pill had mysteriously disappeared from his pouch.
The Qingxuan Taoist and the elders, who were ready to stand up for Xiao Yifeng, were left speechless upon hearing this. Sect Leader Wu Duantian ordered the entire sect to be on high alert, and all disciples were required to present their entire belongings for inspection. However, after a chaotic search, nothing was found.
"If I ever find out who stole my pill, I'll make sure they're torn to pieces!"
…
On one side, Xiao Yifeng was swearing to the heavens.
On the other, Chen Huaian had already administered the top-grade Heart Protection Pill to Li Qingran.
"Achoo!"
"Who the hell is talking about me?" Chen Huaian sneezed three times in a row, then quickly focused as a notification sounded from his phone.
Press the Qihai acupoint with your left hand, channel energy to regulate breathing, and slide your finger toward the Guanyuan acupoint.
Apply the needle technique with your right hand according to the Meridian Opening Method.
The image on the phone zoomed in, focusing on Li Qingran's waist and abdomen.
At this moment, due to the influence of her inner demons, Li Qingran was drenched in sweat, which soaked her thin robe, making the already slightly transparent garment even more revealing. Chen Huaian could clearly see the alluring curve of her waist and the inner undergarment, which resembled a small green skirt reaching her thighs. It was embroidered with what looked like a lotus leaf and a small frog, with the characters "Li Qingran" clumsily stitched in the lower right corner.
"Is this Li Qingran's handwriting?"
The romantic thoughts in Chen Huaian's mind vanished the moment he saw the messy scrawl.
Why does this handwriting feel so familiar?
Wait, isn't this the same kind of scribble on my talisman and bracelet?
Before he could pull out his bracelet to compare, a faint golden light began to glow at Li Qingran's Qihai and Guanyuan acupoints, guiding him to press them.
Using his thumb and index finger, Chen Huaian pressed down, clearly feeling Li Qingran's body tremble slightly.
"This shouldn't hurt, right?" Chen Huaian thought to himself.
Unfortunately, he couldn't see Li Qingran's face, unaware that she was lightly biting her red lips, with two blushes spreading from her cheeks to her ears.
The screen split into two sections: the left showing from the waist down to the legs, and the right showing from the waist up to the neck.
A series of acupoints on the right side lit up one after another, and Chen Huaian quickly followed the sequence to apply the needles.
…
…
Li Qingran struggled in the dark mire, her ears filled with ridicule and curses. Her body felt entangled by countless invisible threads, with a burning pain coursing through her limbs, yet she couldn't move.
The faces of Daoist Qingxuan, Lu Changtian, Xiao Yifeng, Yun Zimo, Zhang Hanxiao, Mu Baishuang, and her fellow disciples from the Qingyun Sect formed a massive wall of faces spinning around her. Different faces, different voices, yet all wore the same cold, cruel expression, spouting the same icy, ruthless words from their gaping, dark mouths.
"Li Qingran, you think you can break through to the Foundation Establishment stage? Ridiculous!"
"Trash, you deserve to have your cultivation crippled!"
"Get out of the Qingyun Sect, get out!"
"Senior Sister, someone like you doesn't deserve to live."
…
The ringing in her ears was like a blade cutting through her mind.
Chaotic thoughts boiled like water, mixing with the buzzing, hurtful words, exploding in her mind.
Her soul felt as if it were being torn away, pierced by needles of gossip, leaving it riddled with holes.
Every inch of her bones felt as if they were being trampled and crushed, along with her dignity and sense of self.
She even began to doubt her own existence.
Desperately reaching out to touch something, anything to prove she was real, her hands only met cold emptiness.
The faces drew closer.
She could no longer hear the words from their gaping mouths, only see them opening and closing, ready to devour her, tear her apart.
"No…"
"Someone… save me…"
Clang—!
In the darkness, a clear sword chime rang out.
Like sweet spring water falling into the mire, it washed away the cacophony of noise.
A sliver of light tore through the darkness, piercing through.
"Li Qingran!" Someone called her name.
Li Qingran forced her eyes open.
She saw the faces surrounding her stop their curses.
They stared in shock as a line cut horizontally through their heads,
flames erupting from the widening gap, twisting and distorting them,
before they shattered into pieces!
"Li Qingran!"
The voice grew closer.
Amid the ashes, she could only vaguely make out a figure.
The person stood behind the smoke, sword in hand, their face obscured,
dressed in black robes with flowing white hair, a majestic five-clawed black dragon with golden eyes dancing around them.
"Senior…"
Li Qingran gazed at the figure, her eyes filled with longing.
A sense of calm swept through her, dispelling the chaos in her mind.
The darkness seemed to retreat in fear of the figure's presence.
…
Li Qingran opened her eyes. She was still in the small room.
The terrifying scenes had all been illusions conjured by her inner demons.
Now, she was nearly soaked through, with a strange sensation in her abdomen and waist.
Looking down, her face instantly flushed red to her ears—two golden spiritual hands were pressing on the acupoints of her waist and abdomen. The left hand channeled energy, while the right hand used spiritual energy as needles to perform acupuncture. The areas where the needles were applied felt tingly and itchy, making her want to gasp for breath.
But she held it in, immediately closing her mouth and holding her breath.
Senior was helping her regulate her energy—she couldn't disturb him.
So Li Qingran silently watched as the soft flesh of her waist and abdomen sank and rebounded under the pressure of the hands. She bit her lower lip, the blush spreading from her ears to her neck, her hands nervously twisting the hem of her robe until her fingers turned white. Her feet unconsciously rubbed against the floor, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.
"It's over, Senior saw my undergarment… I'm so embarrassed…"
"Why did I embroider lotus leaves and a frog on it? Senior must think I'm so childish…"
"Li Qingran, you're so foolish, really…"
"Ugh, it's over. I don't know how I'll face Senior in the future…"
With Chen Huaian's actions, the issue of her inner demons seemed less important.
The girl's mind was now filled with thoughts of how to behave in front of Senior in the future.
Even after Chen Huaian finished applying the needles, Li Qingran remained lost in her imagined future embarrassments, unable to snap out of it.
"Phew, it's done. Her cultivation level is preserved."
Chen Huaian sighed in relief, seeing that Li Qingran was still at the peak of the Qi Refining stage.
The top-grade Heart Protection Pill's effect was to stabilize cultivation.
Originally, the backlash from the inner demons was severe, and even the pill might not have fully preserved her level. But combined with Chen Huaian's Meridian Opening Needle Technique and his unique acupoint massage skills, the backlash was no big deal.
"Next, I need to figure out how to deal with the inner demon problem."
Chen Huaian frowned.
According to the Heavenly Mechanism's divination, Li Qingran needed to return to the Qingyun Sect to sever her karmic ties.
To be honest, if he had a choice, he wouldn't want Li Qingran to take such a risk.
Unfortunately, the game's storyline was designed this way, leaving him no other options.
If Li Qingran goes back, she might be in danger…
And just now, he's run out of money.
Just as Chen Huaian was racking his brains over what to do next—
Knock, knock, knock!
Someone suddenly knocked on the door of the small room,
followed by a cold voice:
"Li Qingran, open the door. I know you're inside."
…
…