Chapter 21

Qin Xianyu often drank the jade elixir water and used it to cook porridge and meals. Now, with six inches of true qi, how could it be just about clear hearing and sharp vision? His hearing was extremely acute, and even though he was in the small building, he could hear the discussions outside. He smiled faintly, merely leaning out to reveal his identity, and ignored the rest.

"I wonder what illness Miss Liu has?"

"Even the most renowned doctors of Fengxing Mansion are at a loss. From the look of it, Lord Gan the Fourth also came to treat her, but even this old imperial physician seems unable to cure her."

"What kind of illness is so astonishing?"

Qin Xianyu's thoughts were slightly disordered. He thought to himself, "Even Lord Gan the Fourth is at a loss. My medical skills are likely of little use. I wonder if this pot of elixir water can cure her? Well, I'll do my best. Even if it doesn't work, I suppose nothing will happen. From the looks of these doctors, they don't seem to have been neglected, so the Liu family doesn't seem unreasonable."

"If I can cure her..."

Qin Xianyu was suddenly startled.

If he could cure an illness that even the many famous doctors of Fengxing Mansion and Lord Gan the Fourth couldn't, then the reputation of the Qin family's medicine...

"Why am I thinking so much again?" Qin Xianyu sighed inwardly and shook his head.

The old steward had already called out, and it seemed to be a maid inside.

While Qin Xianyu's thoughts were still in disarray, the door had already opened.

Looking inside, the room was simply decorated with no luxurious items. A window on the left let in a gentle breeze, and a glimpse outside revealed a few flowers and green grass in the courtyard.

A pretty girl in the room placed a wet cloth back into the water basin, frowning as she looked at the newcomer.

This girl had bright eyes and white teeth, with a clear and beautiful face. She was very attractive. Her bright eyes fell on Qin Xianyu, and she saw him looking around, even at her. The girl felt a bit angry and thought to herself, "Can a girl's boudoir be looked at so casually? This boy is a doctor, but why is he dressed like a Taoist? Those old doctors couldn't cure her, and this young Taoist is even younger than me. Does he really have the skills?"

Qin Xianyu sensed the girl's hostility but was not bothered by it.

The girl raised her eyebrows slightly and asked, "Are you the Qin Xianyu who cured the snake venom?"

"Indeed." Qin Xianyu bowed slightly and said, "May I ask what your name is, sister?"

"Sister? Are you older than me?" The girl huffed, her face showing a hint of anger. "I am called Qingning. From now on, call me Sister Ning."

Qin Xianyu was taken aback. This girl looked a year or two younger than him, but seeing the stubborn look in her eyes, he knew that if he didn't call her sister, he would face some trouble. He found it quite amusing and chuckled inwardly, then obediently replied, "Sister Ning, hello."

Sister Ning's expression softened. She looked at Qin Xianyu and said, "Follow me to see the young miss."

Qin Xianyu gathered his thoughts, his eyes showing a hint of seriousness. He entered the room, closed the door behind him, and followed Sister Ning past the pearl curtain.

Behind the pearl curtain was a beautifully crafted embroidered bed, intricately carved. However, Qin Xianyu did not pay attention to it. His face changed slightly, and he felt a warmth in his hand.

"What's happening?"

Qin Xianyu was startled. The small tripod in his hand was gradually heating up, becoming quite hot.

He took a step forward, and the tripod became even hotter.

Sister Ning lifted the white gauze curtain.

A cold and chilling aura immediately hit him.

Qin Xianyu felt a constriction in his chest, his breathing paused, and the tripod felt like a hot coal, almost burning his palm.

However, Sister Ning seemed to be completely unaware.

"What's going on?" Qin Xianyu was very puzzled. This phenomenon had not been mentioned by Lu Qing or the old steward, and it seemed the other doctors were also unaware. Seeing Sister Ning's lack of reaction, he thought, "Could it be that only I can sense this aura? Is the tripod heating up because of this aura?"

He forced down his shock, suppressed the chilling aura, and recited a calming mantra, slightly channeling his true qi to regain his composure.

Looking at the bed again, Qin Xianyu felt an even stronger sense of constriction.

This time it was not because of the aura, but because of the young lady of the state governor's family.

On the embroidered bed lay a woman, covered by a brocade quilt. She was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with an extremely beautiful face. Even though she was ill, she still had a dignified and gentle demeanor, though her illness made her look pale and thin, adding a touch of delicate beauty and pity.

"Liu Ruoyin, nineteen years old."

Qin Xianyu was slightly dazed, took a deep breath, and came to his senses.

"This young Taoist is not bad." Sister Ning nodded slightly, thinking to herself, "Those old doctors in their fifties and sixties were dazed for a long time. This boy doesn't look much older, but he managed to regain his composure quickly after seeing the young miss. His self-control is not bad. At least he's better than those old doctors."

Sister Ning hung the gauze curtain and felt a bit sad looking at her unconscious young miss.

"You must treat her well and not disappoint anyone." Sister Ning, impressed by his self-control, said, "We thought the young miss had just caught a cold, but we couldn't cure it. The doctors couldn't diagnose her. Take a look."

Her tone was softer than before.

Qin Xianyu did not notice the change in tone. He frowned, pondered for a moment, and decided to take her pulse.

As soon as he placed his hand on her delicate wrist, he was suddenly shaken.

The suppressed agitation suddenly burst forth, and he felt a cold and chilling aura hit him like waves.

More shocking than the aura was the turmoil in his true qi.

The tripod was already red-hot.

Qin Xianyu's face turned grim, and he gritted his teeth. "Sister Ning, please wait outside."

Sister Ning's eyes showed a wary look as she looked at Qin Xianyu, who made this impolite request, and she gritted her teeth in silence.

The tripod being hot was one thing, but the turmoil in his true qi felt like a storm, causing his internal organs to tremble. If he wasn't careful, he might damage his foundation. Qin Xianyu maintained his composure and said, "Sister Ning, I need to use a secret family medical technique, and it's not good for outsiders to watch."

Sister Ning looked at him critically and said, "I don't know medicine, so I can't understand. Why should I go out?"

Qin Xianyu inwardly sighed and said, "It's a family rule, and it's not good to break it. Please, Sister, do me a favor."

Sister Ning thought for a moment, thinking, "There are such secret rules, but I don't know if this is something the young Taoist made up. Well, this is the Liu family, so he shouldn't dare to do anything."

Sister Ning bit her lip, thought for a moment, and reluctantly nodded.

She wanted to warn him but feared it would be overkill.

If this young Taoist didn't have any ill intentions, and she warned him, it might make him think of something bad, which would be a huge mistake.

Sister Ning thought, "This is the Liu family, so the young Taoist shouldn't dare to do anything. I'll go ask the steward."

Qin Xianyu saw her hesitate for a long time and was already struggling to hold on. He was about to speak when the girl finally relented.

"Alright, you treat her. I'll go find the steward and the guards to keep watch, so no one disturbs you."

Sister Ning thought that the guards would intimidate him, and if he had any ill intentions, they would scare him. She would then go find the steward to make a decision.

Qin Xianyu finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

Sister Ning quickly left the room, paused, and thought, "I should have made him wait outside too. Well, I'll go find the steward. It's just a few steps away, and I don't think he'll dare to do anything."

She quietly returned to the room, looked for a moment, and saw the young Taoist's hand on the young miss's wrist, unmoving. She nodded in satisfaction, thinking, "He seems to be treating her seriously."

With that thought, she quietly left the room, went downstairs, and found the steward.

Qin Xianyu finally breathed a sigh of relief, but in an instant, his eyes narrowed, and his expression became extremely serious.

"Entering this room, the tripod started to heat up, and now it's stuck to my hand, making it hard to let go."

"The closer I get to Miss Liu, the hotter it gets."

"The closer I get, the more my true qi becomes unstable."

Qin Xianyu thought to himself, "I could suppress it before, but touching her wrist made my true qi unstable. If I can't find a solution, my true qi might go out of control, damaging my meridians and organs."

The tripod at his waist was extremely hot, like a red-hot coal. Qin Xianyu felt his hand was about to burn, but he was not one to give up easily. He frowned slightly and focused his mind.

The tripod was hot, and his true qi was unstable, but the source must be Miss Liu.

This couldn't be delayed. The tripod burning his hand was secondary. If his true qi became unstable and he couldn't control it, he might damage his meridians and organs, which could be minor injuries, true qi damage, and a decrease in his cultivation, or even death if it was severe.

"What illness does this young lady of the Liu family have? It's truly shocking, no wonder Lu Qing asked me to bring a magical tool."

Qin Xianyu took a deep breath, his eyes focused, and he channeled his true qi into the acupoints beside his eyes, instantly feeling the world become clear, washing away the muddiness.

This was a very risky technique. If he was careless and injured the acupoints or meridians near his eyes, he might go blind. But Qin Xianyu was skilled in medicine and very familiar with his own acupoints and meridians. Once he had mastered the control of his true qi, he had little hesitation in using it.

The gentle woman lay quietly on the bed, looking very weak and pitiful, with a slight frown that made her even more endearing.

But in the eyes of the young Taoist, who had channeled his true qi, a large amount of gray-black mist surrounded her pale face, targeting her forehead, constantly invading and gathering.

This gray-black mist almost enveloped Liu Ruoyin, converging on her forehead.

"Indeed, it's evil."