Wang Xian did not enter the city. He had been waiting for Cui Wangshu outside Luoyang County. Once they boarded the carriage, he examined her complexion and frowned. “Your meridians are in disarray.”
Cui Wangshu took a sip of tea and smiled lightly. “As expected, I can’t hide it from you, Wang Lao.”
Wang Xian snorted coldly, stroked his long beard, and said, “Let me take your pulse.”
Cui Wangshu paused, her gaze darkening slightly, but she still tugged at the corner of her mouth and extended her wrist.
Wang Xian placed his fingers on her pulse, and his brows gradually furrowed. Seeing that Cui Wangshu’s expression remained normal, he suppressed his inner doubts, sighed, and asked, “When did you forcibly break through the secrets of heaven?”
Cui Wangshu’s meridians were in terrible disarray—the worst condition since Wang Xian had been tending to her health. The backlash from forcibly divining heavenly secrets was different from other internal injuries. From the first glance at her complexion, Wang Xian had suspected as much.
She looked the same as usual, but the faint dryness between her brows was still faintly visible.
Cui Wangshu answered honestly, “During the mud figurine murder case in Tongzhou.”
Wang Xian glared at her. “You!”
It had happened nearly two months ago, and she hadn’t uttered a word about it. If he hadn’t been summoned to Luozhou, who knew how long she would have kept it hidden!
Cui Wangshu smiled. “Wang Lao, I’m fine, aren’t I?”
Wang Xian didn’t want to speak with her. As a martial artist, she should know the importance of meridian circulation. Yet she claimed to be fine? Would she only be satisfied after ruining her martial arts entirely?
But after all, he had cared for her since she came of age, and with no children of his own, he had treated Cui Wangshu like a daughter over the years. Unable to bear it, he said, “After that, you haven’t divined anything else that consumes your lifespan, have you?”
Cui Wangshu nodded. “I guarantee it.”
Wang Xian huffed and glared. “If you had, could you still be sitting here right now?”
Cui Wangshu smiled and lowered her head in admission. “Wang Lao is right.”
“Later, I’ll perform acupuncture on you and prescribe some medicine to regulate your internal energy. For the next six months, it’s best if you don’t use your Divination Chips at all—not even for ordinary matters.” Wang Xian looked at her seriously.
The Divination Chip Technique was not without cost; otherwise, Cui Wangshu would have used it for everything. Divining profound heavenly secrets consumed lifespan and damaged meridians, while even ordinary divinations drained her essence—damage that was hard to recover.
How could Cui Wangshu not know this? She rarely used her Divination Chips except when absolutely necessary.
“Alright, I’ll listen to Wang Lao.” Knowing the old man meant well, Cui Wangshu naturally agreed.
Wang Xian sighed again. “Your body used to be so healthy. Look at what you’ve done to it now. If you keep going like this, you’ll be no different from that Yellow Path Palace Lord—two peas in a pod.”
Cui Wangshu furrowed her brows. “Just how bad is her condition?”
She knew Jiang Chenbi’s health was poor, but the woman had displayed impressive martial prowess both in the Imperial Mausoleum and Tongzhou. Normally, aside from a sickly air, she seemed fine.
Wang Xian frowned, recalling his first sight of Jiang Chenbi at Xiaoyun Pavilion. Deathly pallor had faintly emanated from between her brows; she likely had little lifespan left.
“Her meridians are severed, and her internal organs have suffered extremely severe damage—mostly irreversible internal injuries.”
Cui Wangshu’s pupils contracted sharply, seemingly unable to believe Jiang Chenbi’s body had deteriorated to such a degree. But she still had martial arts?
Drawing in a sharp breath, Cui Wangshu didn’t dare think further. If her meridians were severed, then every time Jiang Chenbi fought, she relied solely on her physical body. No wonder she had been captured after just a few exchanges in Tongzhou.
“What if… she not only has hemoptysis but is also nurturing Poison Blood and even afflicted with Love Gu?” Cui Wangshu asked hoarsely.
Out of a healer’s instinct, a surge of anger rose in Wang Xian’s heart. What kind of person who didn’t care about their own life would tamper with so many poisons in their body?
Calming his anger, Wang Xian’s expression turned somewhat cold. “I’d need to take her pulse to know.”
All things in the world reinforced and countered each other. Sometimes, seemingly deadly poisons could balance one another into harmony.
Though his impression of Jiang Chenbi from Xiaoyun Pavilion wasn’t favorable, facing someone on the verge of death, Wang Xian disdained petty grudges.
Cui Wangshu lowered her gaze and said no more.
Luoyang was close to Qingcang Mountain. Knowing Cui Wangshu would bring Wang Xian today, Ying Lan had arranged escorts in advance.
The group rode in carriages, winding through Yellow Path Palace until they reached the main hall where Jiang Chenbi received guests.
Jiang Chenbi wore no powder, only a touch of lip rouge, which made her look somewhat more vibrant.
Thinking of Wang Xian’s words, Cui Wangshu’s gaze toward Jiang Chenbi flickered with complexity. Her eyes lingered on Jiang Chenbi’s red lips, and she furrowed her brows.
She had originally thought Jiang Chenbi simply loved beauty and thus applied lip rouge. Now, it seemed it was to conceal her sickly pallor.
Jiang Chenbi smiled warmly. “Wang Lao, forgive me for not welcoming you from afar. Please, have a seat.”
Wang Xian disliked her circuitous and hypocritical ways. He cut straight to the point. “No need to waste time. I’m here to diagnose you.”
Jiang Chenbi’s beaming smile stiffened unusually for a moment before she recovered naturally. “I appreciate the trouble.”
They sat, and Wang Xian took her pulse. His expression grew increasingly grave. With a complex look toward Cui Wangshu, he said, “All of you, leave.”
Jiang Chenbi pursed her lips, her smile nearly faltering.
Cui Wangshu was worried but was shooed out by Wang Xian’s glare. Standing outside the door, she asked Ying Lan, “How… is her condition, really?”
Ying Lan pursed her lips. “I can’t say.”
Inside the room.
Jiang Chenbi eyed Wang Xian’s grave expression and feigned ease. “Wang Lao, just speak plainly. I’ve always been clear about my own body.”
Wang Xian had some dissatisfaction with her, but realizing she was at the oil-exhausted, lamp-dried stage, that resentment vanished. After all, she was just a girl, and a trace of pity welled up in him.
“You suffer from hemoptysis, so you nurtured Poison Blood to suppress it, but the cost was severed meridians. Yet you’re also afflicted with Love Gu—those Gu Worms have taken the place of your meridians, simulating circulation. But with the Love Gu controlling your body, how is that different from a walking corpse?”
Wang Xian looked at Jiang Chenbi, at a loss for words.
Jiang Chenbi curved her lips, though her eyes held no mirth. “Indeed. But this body is still alive, isn’t it? That’s enough.”
Wang Xian shook his head, lips moving several times, but he couldn’t find words. Jiang Chenbi was right; it was precisely these layers of balancing poisons that kept her decaying body limping along.
Disrupting any one would mean she wouldn’t survive half a month.
Wang Xian asked, “And what about your internal organs?” Severed meridians alone shouldn’t have caused such severe organ damage.
Jiang Chenbi pursed her lips, her gaze turning icy. “Because I still practice martial arts.”
Wang Xian closed his eyes, somewhat unwilling to continue diagnosing her. Healers feared patients like Jiang Chenbi the most—stubborn fools.
“You know you can’t practice martial arts, yet you insist. Without meridians, you rely on your flesh and blood to endure. Do you truly not value your life?”
Wang Xian looked at Jiang Chenbi, overcome with helpless exasperation.
Jiang Chenbi lowered her gaze. How could she not know? But she needed martial prowess. Otherwise, who would gather heavenly treasures and earthly rarities for Yellow Path Palace’s core members?
Who would venture repeatedly into perilous lands for secret manuals and ancient texts?
Who would retrieve Drought Fiend Heart’s Blood to craft the invaluable Soul Preserving Pill?
It was impossible, yet she had no choice. From the start, she had nothing and could only rely on herself—learning Gu Poison, Hypnosis Technique, martial arts, step by step forging her achievements.
She had no one to lean on, only this broken body. So what?
It was merely expending lifespan and severing meridians.
Poison Gu Sect, Yellow Path Palace—weren’t they all hard-won through her blood, sweat, and swallowed teeth?
Jiang Chenbi exhaled deeply and smiled. “Wang Lao, I’m not likable enough to live a millennium. I won’t die that easily. I troubled you to come to Luozhou only because I didn’t want to rebuff her good intentions.”
After much deliberation, Jiang Chenbi still said, “With her… can you avoid telling the full truth?”
Wang Xian stared at her without agreeing or refusing. Instead, he asked, “You understand medicine yourself. Haven’t you thought of regulating your condition? Relying solely on those Soul Preserving Pills each time?”
Jiang Chenbi didn’t know what to say, as if amused by her own body. Helplessly, she replied, “To tell you the truth, I truly can’t stomach those medicinal meals—or even regular food in large amounts. How am I supposed to regulate?”
No matter the medicinal aid, the body had to heal itself, starting with proper nutrition. Otherwise, the drugs would only consume more vitality.
Wang Xian had encountered many intractable diseases in his life, but Jiang Chenbi’s case went beyond illness—her foundation was ruined, propped up by her chaotic Poison Blood and Gu Poisons, preventing total immobility.
But it wasn’t much better, especially since she admitted she couldn’t even manage basic meals.
Wang Xian sighed. “I have a set of Nine Revolutions Soul Returning Needle techniques from Medicine King Valley that can regulate your internal organs and cure your loss of appetite. Are you willing to try?”
Jiang Chenbi’s meridians and Poison Blood were untouchable; she survived on that alone. The only treatable aspects were her organs and eating issues.
Jiang Chenbi let out a surprised “Wow.” “Medicine King Valley’s Nine Revolutions Soul Returning Needle—that can bring the dead back to life. Wang Lao, you’re really willing to teach me?”
Wang Xian frowned impatiently. “Are you going to learn or not?”
Jiang Chenbi immediately adopted a studious posture. “Yes! Of course!”
Though she didn’t care much about her body or longevity, now that she had someone to care for, Jiang Chenbi was willing to give it a try.
Wang Xian snorted coldly. “Good. This Nine Revolutions Soul Returning Needle can also cure the poison causing your deafness. Consider yourself lucky to learn a secret Medicine King Valley technique!”
Jiang Chenbi obligingly put on a humble, receptive demeanor. “I’ve overreached. Please instruct me, Wang Lao.”
It was merely acupoint and needle techniques; with her medical knowledge, Jiang Chenbi learned quickly.
By the time she mastered it, an hour had passed. Jiang Chenbi rubbed her sore shoulders and neck as she stood, intending to find Cui Wangshu, when she heard Wang Xian’s voice.
“You resolved her Love Gu, didn’t you?”
