Chapter 215: A Small Gift
“All indicators are normal, congratulations, you passed!”
A week later, Dr. Qi visited the Jiang family, carrying the checkup reports, and happily announced the good news to Jiang Xue.
Although it was the expected result, Jiang Xue still couldn’t believe her ears. She took the reports and looked through them one by one.
After confirming every single report, she finally screamed, jumped up, hugged Xiao Luohan, and spun her around.
Xiao Luohan cooperated, putting her arms around Jiang Xue’s shoulders and nodding slightly.
So Jiang Xue lifted her up and spun her around five times before stopping.
“Then let’s start Xiao Luo’s ‘body purification and bone strengthening’ treatment immediately!” Jiang Xue said, putting her beloved down and looking at Dr. Qi. “I’ll call Cang Ling over to help!”
This was supposed to be a long process, but Cang Ling had mentioned “the power of merit” last time, and Jiang Xue now fully understood the treatment principles, so she planned to try combining the two to significantly shorten the duration.
If it didn’t work, it wasn’t a big deal, just a matter of waiting two or three more years.
“We’ll need her to calculate the location and time for the treatment,” Dr. Qi said. “Short-term treatments only exist in ancient theoretical records, and without the ‘power of merit,’ I can’t guarantee the success rate of the true ‘ancestral method.'”
After receiving Jiang Xue’s message, Cang Ling quickly replied, along with a location tag: 【Mingjing Taoist Temple, a platform bathed in starlight and moonlight, 7:06 PM tonight, we can try.】
After showing the address to Xiao Luohan and Dr. Qi, Jiang Xue couldn’t help but comment, “I always feel that Cang Ling is particularly attached to Mingjing Taoist Temple. Is there some big secret related to the fate of the world hidden there?”
A place that could attract the attention of a metaphysics elite like Cang Ling must be extraordinary. But strangely, Grandma Xie, who was close to the head of Mingjing Taoist Temple, had never mentioned this.
She didn’t know if Grandma Xie was truly unaware, or if she had agreed to keep it a secret.
“Even if there is, it has nothing to do with a little physician like you, who barely knows anything about metaphysics,” Dr. Qi said bluntly. “Focus on the task at hand. Do you still want to take your Xiao Luo to the ski resort in Province Y?”
After mastering the skills and curing their congenital deficiencies, they had promised to go skiing together—Jiang Xue had made this promise to Xiao Luohan years ago.
Jiang Xue hurriedly agreed and contacted Taoist Master Xuan Nuo of Mingjing Taoist Temple.
Even though Cang Ling would probably contact them directly after calculating the location, she still wanted to show her sincerity.
Taoist Master Xuan Nuo’s reply came quickly: 【Okay, I’ll have my disciple prepare the place for you. Remember to come early and get ready. As far as I know, the ancient method of body purification and bone strengthening also requires a medicinal bath, right?】
【Yu Xue: Yes, we’ll prepare the herbs, but we’ll need to use the cauldron at the temple. Freshly brewed and used immediately.】
【Mingjing Taoist Temple – Taoist Master Xuan Nuo: That’s too much trouble. Give me the prescription and instructions, you can leave later, and it will be ready when you arrive.】
Jiang Xue stared at the screen, stunned, but considering that this would save time, she quickly agreed, afraid that the elder would change her mind: 【Okay! Remember to tell me the cost of the herbs, and I’ll transfer the money to you!】
【Mingjing Taoist Temple – Taoist Master Xuan Nuo: No need, your presence itself is the best reward.】
“…Although I understand that metaphysics practitioners like to speak in riddles, Taoist Master Xuan Nuo really uses this phrase to refuse our money every time,” Jiang Xue muttered after putting down her phone.
“Just think of it as an old person being too lazy to come up with new phrases,” Dr. Qi said. “After you’ve written the prescription, show it to me before sending it. I need to consider the potential side effects of failure.”
An hour later, Taoist Master Xuan Nuo, petting the black cat in her office while drinking tea, received the prescription and instructions.
She still had white hair and wore a gray robe, but her face showed no signs of aging, looking very young. Her heterochromatic eyes, one blue and one gold, narrowed slightly, either enjoying the feel of the cat’s fur or savoring the “Dianhong” tea.
And beneath her gray robe, a fluffy white tail twitched occasionally.
“As a reward for letting me observe such an interesting phenomenon, I’ll grant you a small wish,” Taoist Master Xuan Nuo said, her gaze sweeping over the text, petting the cat, and smiling.
At 6:40 PM, Dr. Qi drove the Jiang couple, Cang Ling, and Xiao Linghan to Mingjing Taoist Temple.
As Xiao Luo’s only blood relative in this world, Xiao Linghan felt that she had to be present for such an important event. If anything happened, perhaps the spiritual energy she had accumulated over the years could be of use.
Today was a weekday, and Jiang Mei and the two mothers weren’t off work yet, so the one who came from the Jiang family was Xie Xitong.
She drove separately, bringing Xixi, the white cat, and Xia Yun, the golden retriever, who had insisted on coming. By the time they arrived at Mingjing Taoist Temple, Xiao Luohan was already soaking in the medicinal bath on the rooftop platform, the treatment having begun.
Jiang Xue was guiding the process. She and Xiao Luohan shared the same soul and was the person most familiar with her body’s structure in this world.
While Xiao Luohan sat in the bath, her eyes closed, absorbing the essence of the medicinal herbs, Jiang Xue channeled her own spiritual energy, strand by strand, helping her repair the congenital deficiencies with the help of the medicine, Cang Ling’s “power of merit,” and the starlight and moonlight from the sky above.
Since this was a supernatural treatment method that significantly shortened a long process, pain was inevitable, and even taking ibuprofen beforehand couldn’t completely eliminate it.
Jiang Xue, being the “main force” this time, couldn’t share Xiao Luohan’s pain and could only focus on the treatment.
She didn’t know that before leaving, Xiao Linghan had asked Cang Ling to cast a spell on her.
It was a pain-relief talisman specifically for blood relatives. As long as they were close enough, it could instantly transfer a portion of the pain.
Feeling the pain lessen, Xiao Luohan, who only had to endure and wait, couldn’t help but open her eyes and instinctively looked at Jiang Xue, then, realizing it wasn’t her, immediately turned to her elder sister.
She saw her elder sister smile and nod, making a “don’t worry” gesture.
—The general who had fought and died on the battlefield indeed had the highest pain tolerance among them.
Xiao Luohan’s nose tingled, but at this moment, besides patiently waiting for the treatment to end, there was nothing she could do, so she simply closed her eyes and prayed to all the gods and Buddhas she could think of.
May Heaven, fate, and causality bless us, let this be successful…!
Xixi and Xia Yun, although not quite understanding what was happening, anxiously paced around the screen outside the bathtub, not daring to make a sound and disturb them.
The treatment lasted for three hours.
Fortunately, it was summer, and the large bathtub could maintain a constant temperature, so even though the treatment was taking place outdoors, they didn’t have to worry about catching a cold.
The original medicinal liquid was now murky with the impurities expelled from Xiao Luohan’s body, and she felt a sticky film on her skin, very uncomfortable.
But her body felt light, her breathing clearer than ever before, and the pain in her lungs, which had bothered her during the treatment, was completely gone.
Could deep breaths and strenuous exercise truly be “possible” now?
“Go take a shower first, the bathroom is on the left after entering,” Taoist Master Xuan Nuo said, placing a clean bathrobe outside the makeshift screen.
After watching Jiang Xue help the bathrobe-clad Xiao Luohan leave, and hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom a moment later, Taoist Master Xuan Nuo turned to the others, who had been staring at her.
“Ask away,” she said calmly, taking the initiative.
“The ‘power of merit’ consumed was much less than I expected, did you help?” Cang Ling asked directly.
“Perhaps this kind of deed doesn’t require much merit, or perhaps the merit gained from helping others has filled the gap,” Taoist Master Xuan Nuo replied slowly. “How could it be related to an old woman like me, about to enter the earth?”
Cang Ling frowned, about to speak again, when she was interrupted, “Why not worry about your own Highness instead?”
Xiao Linghan hadn’t spoken a word since the treatment began… no, not a single sound. Hearing Taoist Master Xuan Nuo mention her, she smiled at Cang Ling wryly. “It’s just sharing the pain, what could happen to me?”
She thought she was telling the truth, but Cang Ling was truly worried. Despite being exhausted from the three-hour ritual, she immediately checked Xiao Linghan’s soul.
After confirming that her Highness was fine, she looked up and found that Taoist Master Xuan Nuo was gone.
“…Aren’t you curious?” Cang Ling asked the other version of herself, who was playing with the cat and dog.
Even without her explaining, Xie Xitong knew the implied question was “Why didn’t you stop her?”
“Some higher-dimensional beings, understanding them would only bring trouble to mortals,” Xie Xitong said, after petting the dog and then pinching the white cat’s face. “It’s better to treat them like the sun, moon, and stars in the sky, knowing that they exist is enough, there’s no need to approach them.”
“Besides, if they were truly willing, or allowed, to reveal their identities, we wouldn’t have to ask,” Dr. Qi added.
As they spoke, Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan emerged, hand in hand.
Summer clothes were convenient. Just put on a dress, and you were ready to go, and hair dried quickly.
“Eh? Where’s Taoist Master Xuan Nuo?” Jiang Xue asked, surprised, not seeing her. “I wanted to thank her with Xiao Luo before leaving!”
“She should be in her office, or if not, then she’s probably resting. It’s her bedtime,” Xie Xitong stood up. “Let’s go home first. We can bring gifts and thank her another day.”
So they left, each returning to their respective homes.
Before parting ways, Xiao Luohan was still worried about her elder sister’s soul, and in the end, it was Cang Ling who reassured her, “I’ve already checked, she’s fine, you can go home and have fun with A-Xue.”
“And take these two little ones with you,” Xie Xitong said, pushing the cat and dog towards them. “I’m going to pick up someone who’s working overtime.”
She then drove away.
“…I originally wanted to ask A-Xi when she’s free to take us to the ski resort in Province Y,” Jiang Xue said, sitting on the bed in their bedroom, a little regretful, after returning to the Jiang family’s home.
But she quickly changed the subject, “But you also need a full body check-up first, and we can go skiing after everything is ready!”
