"I have my ways." Nie Kong caught the pill and smiled, "I'll be right back." With that, Nie Kong sprang up and was out of the room, leaving the ninth-floor herb garden behind.

The so-called borrowing of strength was naturally not Nie Kong's own power.

Hua Mei cultivated the Hua Ling Clan's "Pian Xuan Yu Die Chun" Heart Aspect, and to achieve full integration with her body, the borrowed power should ideally stem from the same Heart Aspect.

Hua Cai Die was currently within the Spirit Mansion, making her the best choice.

After a good half hour, Lou Kong’s figure finally returned. Seeing the group gathered, he said, "Qing Yue, Lan Ling, Hulu, the three of you wait outside the herb garden first."

"Huh?"

The three exchanged puzzled glances.

Qing Yue and Lan Ling had stayed precisely to see what Nie Kong intended to do, only to be met with this request. They looked pleadingly at Nie Kong, hoping he would change his mind, but his expression remained utterly unmoved. After lingering for a while longer, Qing Yue finally grumbled and walked out of the room.

Lan Ling followed suit when she saw this. Hulu’s body had already returned to its original form; he glanced at Nie Kong with some bewilderment, then at Hua Pian Pian, and quickly drifted away.

Sensing that the three had left the herb garden, Nie Kong sat cross-legged and studied Hua Pian Pian with a knowing smile.

Hua Pian Pian had just withdrawn her gaze and, seeing Nie Kong smiling so oddly, felt a surge of unease. She instinctively drew her full bosom closer, forcing an unnatural smile onto her face, and asked, "Nie Kong, now that you've sent them all away, what exactly do you want to do?"

Nie Kong coughed twice. "Unfasten your clothes."

"What?"

A tremor ran through Hua Pian Pian’s heart, and a blush rose on her cheeks. She wrapped her arms tightly around her delicate chest. "Nie Kong, wait... don't do anything rash!"

"I'm just going to apply needles to you! What did you think I was planning?"

Nine golden needles materialized in Nie Kong’s palm, which he shook towards Hua Pian Pian with a snort. "Besides, I'm not looking at you; I'm looking at Hua Mei. Hua Mei and I are old companions; I’ve seen every inch of her body countless times. What’s the big deal about looking again now?"

Hua Pian Pian glared fiercely at Nie Kong. "You..."

Nie Kong immediately cut her off, urging, "Hurry up! I don't have time to dawdle with you here... What, do I have to do it myself?"

"I..."

Hua Pian Pian opened her mouth, her pretty face burning crimson. After a long moment, she gritted her teeth fiercely. "Nie Kong, if you dare to lay a hand on me, don't even think about me helping you repair the Illusion Array." She knew she couldn't match Nie Kong in a physical confrontation over this matter, so she could only use this as a threat.

With that, Hua Pian Pian fought down her shame and gently undid her sash. Her garments slipped down past her sharply defined shoulders, pooling at her waist. In moments, her graceful and beautiful upper body was completely revealed before Nie Kong: her skin was snow-white and tender, her full, high breasts and flat, smooth abdomen laid bare.

Seeing Nie Kong’s eyes glance over, Hua Pian Pian quickly averted her gaze and reflexively raised her crystalline jade arms to shield her chest, covering the two crimson buds. Yet, perhaps unwilling to appear weak, Hua Pian Pian suddenly lowered her arms, her lushly red face held tight, and glared fiercely back at Nie Kong.

Nie Kong chuckled inwardly. Although this vivid, exquisite, and delicate body was right before his eyes, he harbored no other thoughts at the moment. He slowly rose and, under Hua Pian Pian’s tense watch, swiftly inserted the nine golden needles into her nine major hidden acupoints.

"Xiang Ze!"

A thought stirred in Nie Kong’s mind, and a flash of purple shadow darted out, the little creature slipping right through the slender Heavenly Needle and into Hua Pian Pian's lower abdomen.

"It’s inside! Th-this..."

Seeing that Nie Kong indeed hadn't taken advantage of the situation to act inappropriately, Hua Pian Pian felt her tension ease considerably despite her bare torso, but this sight made her gasp in alarm.

Nie Kong offered no explanation and began to slowly rotate the Heavenly Needle.

With a gentle hum, the nine golden needles vibrated in unison, and wisps of purple began to emerge beneath Hua Pian Pian's delicate skin. As time passed, this purple hue grew increasingly distinct. After fifteen minutes, the wisps of purple had condensed into the shape of the "Purple Luo Spirit Fragrance," looking startlingly lifelike, almost like a tattoo.

Hua Pian Pian’s inner shame vanished, her attention entirely fixed on the purple shadow. Her astonished gaze flickered towards Nie Kong every now and then. With this shadow imprinted on her skin, Hua Pian Pian felt no discomfort; instead, she felt currents of rich, cool energy circulating slowly throughout her body, immensely comfortable.

A slight smile played on Nie Kong’s lips. He rapidly withdrew the nine golden needles, then brought out the "Sumi Divine Fetus" again. "Swallow this." Compared to when it had been freshly refined, the current "Sumi Divine Fetus" had expanded by about half its size, and its original pale blue had deepened to a dark blue.

Hua Pian Pian took the pill and couldn't help but ask, "Is this enough? Are you certain?"

Nie Kong chuckled merrily. "Relax. I care about Hua Mei’s condition even more than you do. If I weren't absolutely certain, would I risk this?"

Seeing Nie Kong’s confident demeanor, Hua Pian Pian swallowed it with hesitation after a moment of doubt, then closed her eyes to savor its effects.

A few seconds later, Hua Pian Pian looked at Nie Kong with astonishment. The moment the pill entered her abdomen, a powerful surge of Heart Aspect energy gushed out, rapidly spreading through her limbs and bones.

However, what surprised Hua Pian Pian was that as the energy emerged, threads of cool energy integrated into it. Affected by this, the circulation of the Heart Aspect energy became extraordinarily gentle, causing no shock to her body—it was as if the energy originated from within her own body, not the powerful, high-grade external Heart Aspect energy released from the "Sumi Divine Fetus."

"How did you manage that?" Hua Pian Pian asked, utterly perplexed.

"Didn't you see everything?"

Nie Kong smiled enigmatically. The reason was actually quite simple: Nie Kong had merely allowed the little fellow, Xiang Xiang, to temporarily reside within Hua Pian Pian’s body, using its innate medicinal power to neutralize the Heart Aspect energy of the "Sumi Divine Fetus." Heart Aspect energy fused with this innate medicinal power was like a weapon whose sharp edges had been smoothed down; it retained its strength but lost its aggressive edge, causing no harm to her body despite its high intensity.

Seeing Nie Kong being deliberately mysterious, Hua Pian Pian felt a surge of annoyance. "If you won't say, then don't. As if I care!"

"Since you don't care, then put your clothes on quickly and get busy repairing the Illusion Array." Nie Kong’s gaze swept over the two trembling, full mounds on Hua Pian Pian’s chest.

"Huh?"

Hua Pian Pian froze, then followed Nie Kong’s gaze and realized her upper body was still bare. With a startled cry, her fair face flushed scarlet as she fumbled frantically to pull the clothes up around her waist.

Only after tying her sash did Hua Pian Pian secretly breathe a sigh of relief. She looked up and saw Nie Kong watching her with a half-smile. Unable to contain her sudden shame and anger, she sprang up, delivered a hard kick to Nie Kong’s thigh, and then scurried out of the room in a rather flustered state.

Nie Kong burst into loud laughter and quickly followed after her...