Chapter 19

"Who told you this?" Xia Qingyue asked with a cold frown, her heart filled with shock. With equal mystic power, the people of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace had much shorter lifespans compared to those of other sects. This was a cruel fact, and even within the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, it was a secret that the higher-ups had always kept hidden. Due to the extremely high level of mystic power in the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, the overall lifespan of its people was also very long, so this fact had not been clearly manifested.

Xia Qingyue knew this because her master had mentioned it in a daze after one of her breakthroughs, telling her that it was the greatest flaw of the Ice Cloud Art and strictly ordering her not to tell anyone, including her senior and junior sisters. Now, Xiao Che had blurted it out.

"If I were the palace master of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, I would do everything in my power to suppress this 'flaw' and prevent outsiders from knowing. Do you think I could have heard it from anyone?" Xiao Che sneered. "I really just deduced it from your pulse, nothing more. From your reaction, it seems I got everything right."

"I don't believe it!" Xia Qingyue shook her head decisively. To deduce such a major secret of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace from just a pulse? It was absurd! If it were that simple, the countless divine doctors of the Cangfeng Empire would have spread this secret long ago.

But everything Xiao Che had said was right on the mark, without any deviation. This made Xia Qingyue unable to avoid feeling shocked and suspicious.

"I knew you wouldn't believe it." Xiao Che picked up the medicine pot and the package on the ground and walked into the room. "Follow me."

Xia Qingyue's gaze lingered on the items he was holding, hesitated for a moment, and then followed him into the room, closing the door.

"Sit down." Xiao Che put the medicine pot and the package down and ordered Xia Qingyue in a commanding tone.

"What are you going to do?" Xia Qingyue looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Of course, I'm going to help you adjust."

"I don't need it." Xia Qingyue shook her head directly.

"Whether you need it or not, you should try it first before making a conclusion... Hey! You're not even willing to try, are you?"

Xiao Che had already opened the package and taken out a silver box. He sighed, a hint of disappointment and frustration showing on his face. "I know you don't believe most of what I say. But at least, I have no ability or reason to harm you. I got these things from the medicine room early this morning just to help you adjust. If it works, that's great; if it doesn't, you won't lose anything... Since you don't believe me and are unwilling to try, forget it, consider it my own self-indulgence."

Xiao Che's words made Xia Qingyue pause, and a sense of guilt arose in her heart... Indeed, what he had said and was about to do was all for her benefit, and he wasn't asking for anything in return or making any demands. As he said, he had no reason or ability to harm her... Regardless of the outcome, her direct refusal was indeed a bit excessive.

Xia Qingyue sighed softly and sat down next to Xiao Che. "How are you going to adjust me?"

"... You're willing to be adjusted?" Xiao Che glanced at her, then turned his head away with a light snort.

His childish pout made Xia Qingyue momentarily at a loss, and her voice softened. "I want to see how you will adjust me."

"Good, that's the right attitude." Xiao Che turned his face back, now with a beaming smile. Xia Qingyue was slightly taken aback... This guy, his mood swings were really too fast!

"Extend your hands."

Xiao Che sat in front of Xia Qingyue, and she extended both arms, laying them flat on the table. The loose red sleeves were pulled up to her elbows, revealing two segments of arms as white as snow.

Xiao Che opened the silver box, and inside were dozens of fine silver needles.

"Silver needles... Are you going to use acupuncture?" Xia Qingyue raised an eyebrow.

"Surprised? You actually know about acupuncture?" Xiao Che looked at her with some surprise. Back in the Cangyun Continent, there were fewer than ten people who knew acupuncture, including him and his master, the Medical Sage. However, on the Tianxuan Continent, this seemed to be a widely practiced medical technique, and a set of acupuncture tools could even be found in the Xiao Clan's medicine room.

"Of course I know. I also know that acupuncture requires a high level of skill, taking years to achieve a small success and decades to master. I've never heard that you studied medicine, let alone acupuncture. And there's no trace of medical knowledge in your room. What are you really going to do?" Xia Qingyue's eyes were filled with suspicion and caution.

Xiao Che took out a silver needle and lightly pinched it at the bottom... When Xiao Che picked up the silver needle, Xia Qingyue's eyes momentarily blurred because the silver needle in Xiao Che's hand seemed to have a harmonious feel, as if it were naturally part of his hand. This feeling was very subtle, indescribable, yet clearly present.

Xiao Che opened a small bottle and dipped the silver needle lightly, saying, "You'll soon know if I can do acupuncture. Of course, if you feel any discomfort or think I'm playing a trick on you, you can stop me at any time."

"What's in that bottle?" Xia Qingyue's gaze turned to the small medicine bottle.

"Ordinary Red Sun Flower juice." Xiao Che answered casually, his eyes on Xia Qingyue's snow-white hands, his left hand holding the silver needle trembling slightly.

Xiao Che's movement was extremely fast, so fast that Xia Qingyue didn't even react. When his left hand withdrew, the silver needle in his fingers was gone, and a silver needle was already vertically inserted into her right wrist, precisely at the Yangchi acupoint.

There was no pain, not even a sensation. If she hadn't seen the silver needle with her own eyes, she wouldn't have known it had already pierced her wrist. Xia Qingyue was deeply moved... Fast? No, this was not just fast! It was a level of skill that was astonishing, almost perfect!

The second silver needle was already in Xiao Che's hand, dipped in a bit of Red Sun Flower juice, and approached Xia Qingyue's right wrist. With a slight tremor of his wrist, the second silver needle was precisely inserted into the Yanggu acupoint. Then came the third and fourth, inserted into the Zhongzhu and Hegu acupoints, respectively.

After the right hand, four more silver needles were sequentially inserted into the Yangchi, Yanggu, Zhongzhu, and Hegu acupoints of the left hand. Each insertion was so fast that Xia Qingyue could only see a fleeting shadow. Her surprise grew with each insertion.

She didn't know if Xiao Che's "adjustment" would have any effect, but his skillful and almost magical technique made Xia Qingyue unable to believe it was performed by a sixteen-year-old boy.

"Relax your hands, breathe steadily, and don't use your mystic power."

Xiao Che's voice sounded in her ear. She followed his instructions, relaxing her arms and calming her mind. At this moment, she suddenly felt four cold currents condensing in both hands, then quickly surging towards the Yangchi, Yanggu, Zhongzhu, and Hegu acupoints pierced by the silver needles...

Instantly, a wisp of white mist rose from each of the eight silver needles, the coldness they contained rapidly lowering the surrounding temperature. Feeling the cold currents in her meridians and the quickly dissipating white mist, Xia Qingyue's face was filled with shock.

After a few minutes, the white mist completely stopped. Xiao Che suddenly reached out, his hands moving like a blur, and in an instant, the eight silver needles in Xia Qingyue's hands were back in his hands, then placed in another box.

"This coldness is even heavier than I imagined. Fortunately, you met me." Xiao Che muttered softly, then closed the box and said casually, "Qingyue, how do your hands feel now?"

Xia Qingyue lifted her hands, her eyes filled with ripples. Light, comfortable, warm... This was how her hands felt now. It was as if she had suddenly been freed from a heavy burden. The warmth in her palms and arms was something she had never felt before, especially after practicing the Ice Cloud Art. She looked up at Xiao Che, surprised, and asked, "What exactly is this?"

"Actually, it's quite simple. I just guided and released the coldness in your hands and their meridians, and at the same time, unblocked the blocked meridians." Xiao Che said lightly. "The mystic art of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace makes the mystic power cold, thus increasing its power. The reason cold mystic power is more powerful is that it can harm people... The enemy is human, and so are you. Before harming others, it will inevitably harm you first. This is a very simple truth."

"Touching your hands this morning, I found that your hand temperature was much lower than a normal person's. Perhaps the people of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace naturally think this is a normal result of practicing the Ice Cloud Art, but from a medical perspective, such a body temperature is far from normal! When not using mystic power, it is stored in the mystic meridians and does not affect the body. But once it is used, the cold mystic power flows through the entire body, harming others when released, but also harming yourself when it circulates! You have been practicing the Ice Cloud Art for not many years, but a large amount of coldness has already seeped into your five organs, six viscera, blood, bone marrow, and dantian, and it continues to accumulate. Over time, it will cause continuous and serious damage to your entire body, making a short life span inevitable! The negative reactions you experience are also very normal."

Xia Qingyue: "..."

"Also, under the influence of coldness, many meridians in the body will become blocked due to frequent spasms, which will have a significant impact on the use of mystic power. Now, try to channel your mystic power to your hands and see if there's any difference from before." Xiao Che said with a serious expression.

Xiao Che's explanation was logical, well-founded, and easy to understand, even for a fool. Combined with Xia Qingyue's actual experience, there was no room for doubt or argument.

But when Xiao Che spoke with a serious expression, he was actually gritting his teeth... Because what he said was indeed true, but it was also a bit of a bluff!

The accumulation of coldness in the body and the blockage of meridians were true... But if the Ice Cloud Art were as flawed as he described, the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace wouldn't even exist! Not to mention standing at the peak of the Cangfeng Continent, it probably wouldn't have survived for eight hundred years. After practicing the Ice Cloud Art for some time, the body would fully adapt to it, and while the internal coldness would still be harmful, it would no longer continue to harm the body. Instead, it would become a source of strength, and the blocked meridians would naturally become unblocked.

But Xia Qingyue had only practiced the Ice Cloud Art for three to four years, so she naturally hadn't reached the "fully adapted" stage. Combining his words with her own experiences and the effects of the "adjustment," Xiao Che's explanation seemed flawless to her.

"Adjustment" was just an excuse. The "flaw" of the Ice Cloud Art was also just an excuse. What he really wanted to do, only he knew.