"What is this?" A casual turn of the head caught Bai Yuqing's eye, discerning faint streaks of brilliant gold light within Nie Kong's palm. "Golden needles. I picked these up in the woods outside this afternoon," Nie Kong replied offhandedly. "Oh."

Bai Yuqing didn't doubt Nie Kong's explanation. Numerous weapons were scattered throughout this Illusionary Realm—the very dull blade that wounded her had been found by Nie Qingyan. It was perfectly normal for Nie Kong to discover a few golden needles. However, the moment she saw Nie Kong holding a slender gold needle and bringing it toward her spine, Bai Yuqing’s expression instantly shifted. She subtly twisted her torso, a sharp pain causing cold sweat to bead on her forehead. Frowning elegantly, she said in a deep voice, "What are you doing? You plan to treat my injury with that thing?"

Nie Kong nodded. "Indeed. Inserting these golden needles into the body can very effectively stop the bleeding and pain. Of course, if you are afraid, you can choose not to proceed. Our deal is off, and your injury will no longer concern me." Nie Kong’s tone was decidedly blunt.

"You…"

Bai Yuqing’s gaze turned icy, but after a moment, she drew a sharp breath, her eyes widening as she stared fixedly at Nie Kong's right hand. Baring her teeth, she said, "Fine, prick away. I want to see if it’s truly as miraculous as you claim."

Seeing her demeanor, Nie Kong chuckled inwardly. Although Bai Yuqing was exceptionally good at concealing it, Nie Kong still sensed a tremor of apprehension in her fiercely cold eyes—much like how Hua Mei reacted when he first used acupuncture. Facing a strange technique utterly unknown to her always invoked a degree of fear.

With that thought, a trace of vibrant emerald spiritual energy flowed across the golden needle, and Nie Kong slowly began to press it down.

As the sharp tip drew ever nearer, the skin on Bai Yuqing's back involuntarily shuddered slightly. Her delicate frame tensed until she was rigid as tempered steel.

"Relax!"

Nie Kong frowned.

Bai Yuqing snorted, glaring fixedly at Nie Kong. Their gazes locked in sharp confrontation for a long while before Bai Yuqing finally averted her eyes slightly, letting out a small exhale. She desperately tried to banish the image of the needle piercing her flesh, striving to loosen her own body.

"Done."

A faint, barely perceptible sting passed, and then Nie Kong’s voice reached her ears. Bai Yuqing strained to twist her head around, managing only to glimpse the quivering head of a needle just beneath her right shoulder blade.

Though she couldn't see the entirety of her back, she could feel that at least half of the golden needle was embedded inside her body. Yet, from start to finish, she hadn't felt the slightest discomfort. For a moment, a flicker of astonishment and disbelief entered Bai Yuqing’s previously icy gaze toward Nie Kong.

Nie Kong paid no mind to the subtle shift in her expression; the golden needles in his hands fell faster and faster. Soon, all nine needles were released, sealing the ruptured vessels around Bai Yuqing's wound.

At this point, Bai Yuqing noticed the bleeding from her injury had completely ceased, sending a profound shock through her. Ever since being struck by Nie Qingyan’s blade, a significant amount of blood had flowed despite her constant application of spiritual energy to staunch it. Yet, Nie Kong's simple insertion of nine needles achieved an immediate, visible result.

Nie Kong gently manipulated the Tian Zhen (Heaven Needle), causing the remaining needles to tremble subtly.

Within the human body, aside from the major circulating pathways formed by the nine great hidden acupoints like the Sea of Heart and Jade Pool, countless smaller circuits could be formed by other points. Nie Kong had practiced the Nine Revolutions Golden Needle Art for over twenty years, reaching a state of flawless mastery—the ability to connect any nine needles inserted into any part of the body into a unified whole.

Currently, the nine needles surrounding Bai Yuqing's wound formed a self-contained, minor circuit. When the Tian Zhen moved, the other eight needles responded in harmony.

Vaguely, Bai Yuqing felt a warm current circulating back and forth across the long wound on her back, much like soaking in a hot spring—so comforting it verged on drowsiness. How magical… Only these three words managed to flash through Bai Yuqing’s mind before she drifted into a hazy slumber.

Sometime later, Nie Kong slowed the speed at which he manipulated the Tian Zhen. Suddenly, a small jade vial appeared in his left palm. Recently, Nie Kong had refined thirteen bottles of Spring Return Dew; in his estimation, the vial in his hand was the lowest quality, making it perfectly suitable for treating Bai Yuqing’s blade wound.

The Spring Return Dew offered no cultivation benefit to Bai Yuqing, but for treating an injury of this nature, its efficacy would undoubtedly surpass all first-grade spiritual medicines.

The stopper was pulled, and droplets of milky white liquid began to fall precisely into the open wound. Nie Kong’s speed in manipulating the needles began to increase; a low, humming sound soon filled the cavern as the Spring Return Dew began to be absorbed, thread by thread, into the muscle tissue around Bai Yuqing’s injury…

…

"Mm."

With a soft, comfortable moan, Bai Yuqing’s eyelids fluttered open. Bright light flooded her pupils, and her consciousness instantly cleared. Pressing lightly on the ground with both palms, her graceful body sprang up in one fluid motion. A split second later, her eyes swept around, and upon seeing Nie Kong sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, against the inner wall of the stone cave, Bai Yuqing let out a soft sigh of relief.

Then, Bai Yuqing glanced down at herself. Her attire was exactly as it had been the night before: her under-trousers remained, but her upper body was bare. Following that vigorous upward spring, the two generous mounds of her bust rose and fell relentlessly, a churning ocean of flesh.

Bai Yuqing frowned slightly, then bent down to retrieve her discarded breast wrapping and outer robe from the floor. The instant she straightened up, Bai Yuqing’s face froze. She frantically reached back with her left hand, patting her back a few times, and undisguised elation flooded her eyes: After a single night, her entire back was smooth and bare. That long, gaping wound had vanished without leaving even a hint of a scar, as if she had never been struck by that dull blade the previous evening.

"Awake?"

Nie Kong opened his eyes.

Bai Yuqing covered her chest with the wrapping, winding it around herself layer by layer. Though the look in her eyes toward Nie Kong remained frigid, the tone of her voice was noticeably softer than it had been the night before. "To heal such a severe injury in just one night... you truly didn't lie to me. However, you are vastly different from the spiritual apothecaries I have encountered. Those apothecaries would never use slender golden needles to treat a patient."

"I told you, I’m only half an apothecary," Nie Kong smiled.

He himself was quite surprised. Given the severity of Bai Yuqing’s injury, even using premium spiritual medicine would likely require ten to fifteen days to fully recover. But last night, after using the golden needles to ensure Bai Yuqing fully absorbed the medicine's potency, her wound began to scab over almost immediately, leaving no scar whatsoever. Nie Kong could only attribute this inexplicable phenomenon to the bizarre and miraculous nature of the Life and Death Illusionary Realm.

After a pause, Nie Kong suddenly asked, "Sister Bai, if it’s convenient, could you tell me how you found this stone cave?"

Ignoring the endearment "Sister Bai," Bai Yuqing pulled on her robe, her tone returning to flat neutrality. "I was in this cave the moment I arrived. You getting here was rather lucky on your part."

"That’s good then."

Nie Kong felt a weight lift. He had worried that there might be some obvious flaw outside that could easily expose them. Hearing Bai Yuqing’s explanation relieved a significant concern. "It’s daylight now. You should go out and find food. It's best to gather enough to last one or two days at once."

Bai Yuqing’s delicate eyebrows shot up, and the childish pout on her pretty face collapsed instantly. She was clearly displeased by Nie Kong's commanding tone. Yet, she ultimately managed to restrain her temper. She coldly secured her belt and stated, "Rest assured. Since I agreed to this transaction, I will absolutely not go back on my word."

With that, Bai Yuqing let out a cold snort through her nose and strode swiftly to the entrance. Carefully, she pushed open the sealed fissure, confirming the bright light outside.

Nie Kong slowly blinked, closing his eyes once more. Dispelling all distractions, he calmed his mind and continued circulating the 'Five Stars Shifting Art,' absorbing the medicinal fragrance wafting from the stone wall behind him…

…

P: Three weeks of no features! I finally managed to secure a small recommendation for next week—wonder how it will fare. Feeling anxious~~~~