A total of thirty-six Wind-Riding Colts had been slain by Li Xieling’s single sword strike, nearly cutting the herd in half. Even after dividing the remainder between two Cloud-Flipping Wagons, they could still be pulled, though their speed was significantly reduced.

Inside the carriage, Zong Shou sat with a solemn expression. Before him, Xuanyuan Yiren lay stretched out, eyes tightly shut, her face cycling between a flush of deep color and a pallor as white as paper.

Zong Shou held her right wrist, carefully examining her pulse. After a long moment, he let out a slow breath and gently set her hand down.

He had only realized the girl’s condition was dire when preparing to depart. Seeing Xuanyuan Yiren absent, coupled with the strangely disoriented and flustered state of Li Yuniang, had prompted his forceful intervention, moving Xuanyuan Yiren into his own carriage for care.

But testing her pulse now confirmed that her situation was far worse than he had anticipated.

“A massive depletion of qixue (vital energy and blood), severe depletion of yuanqi (primal energy), and two broken meridians. She is one step from death. This foolish girl, why strain herself so fiercely? What necessity drove her to this?”

The person who sent the fire signal from Danquan Sect intended to draw Xuanyuan Yiren away from him, so they likely meant her no physical harm. The reason why Xuanyuan Yiren injured herself to this extent was self-evident. Judging by the degree of qixue loss within her body, she must have been fighting desperately for the past few hours.

“This is not good; her body is alternately hot and cold. This Xuan Yue Mu Huang Jue (Mystic Moon Amber Art)—it seems its condition has also changed…”

Zong Shou hesitated for a moment before beginning to loosen the clothing on Xuanyuan Yiren’s upper body.

Xuanyuan Yiren wore no undergarment; her chest was tightly bound by a strip of silk. Zong Shou flicked a finger, and a surge of qijin (spiritual energy) cleanly severed the silk binding right down the middle.

A large expanse of snow-white skin was immediately revealed to Zong Shou’s eyes. Xuanyuan Yiren’s breasts were neither too large nor too small, perfectly filling his grasp, yet they were exceedingly firm and beautifully shaped. At this moment, they looked like a pair of trembling doves, their peaks—two points of cherry hue—also tenderly red.

Zong Shou felt a moment of dizziness, his vision swimming, and an overwhelming, reckless impulse surged in his chest—a desire to cup those delicate mounds in his hands and examine them closely.

He quickly shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and repeated internally, ‘I am a healer. A healer must possess the heart of a parent,’ barely managing to calm his surging emotions. It took a full quarter-hour before Zong Shou could open his eyes again. Xuanyuan Yiren’s figure was exquisitely beautiful. Curved where it should be, slender where necessary; her waist was delicately narrow and well-proportioned. However, Zong Shou’s gaze immediately focused on the center of her chest. Between the pair of ‘doves,’ there was a distinct mark shaped like a flame, yellow in the center and red on the edges, as if the fire were actively flickering.

He could not tell if it was an old mark or a recent one.

Zong Shou barely touched it, and his fingertip felt as if it were being scorched. The skin on his fingertip seemed almost to combust.

Xuanyuan Yiren was already depleted of qixue, and being continuously battered by the fire energy from the Xuan Yue Mu Huang Jue, her condition was naturally growing more precarious. Furthermore, this flame energy had penetrated her lung—metal element—which is violently subdued by fire, creating the worst possible conflict.

It was fortunate she encountered him this time; were it anyone else, even a physician with divine skills would be helpless.

First, he retrieved Xuanyuan Yiren’s small Qiankun Pouch and rummaged through it. Within moments, he found a small bottle labeled ‘Lesser Primordial Supplement Pills.’ Unsure of the dosage, Zong Shou first used his fingernail to scrape a tiny fragment from a pill and tasted it.

Then, he directly administered three Lesser Primordial Supplement Pills to Xuanyuan Yiren. Unfortunately, the girl still possessed only a fuzzy consciousness, though she managed to swallow, which made Zong Shou sigh internally with quiet regret. As to what exactly he regretted, only he knew.

Next, he took out his set of golden needles and inserted them one by one into Xuanyuan Yiren’s body. While he was mediocre at alchemy in his previous life, this technique of piercing acupoints with golden needles was flawless. It was also intrinsically linked to his martial path; once a certain level of strength was achieved, a practitioner gained intimate knowledge of all the body’s meridians, acupoints, and the flow of qiqi.

A martial arts master could typically also become an excellent physician.

With only ten-odd needles inserted, the intense heat within Xuanyuan Yiren gradually subsided. The flame mark on her chest also appeared to have significantly faded.

Zong Shou then checked her wrist pulse again, drawing out a stream of fresh blood that he let drip directly into Xuanyuan Yiren’s mouth. The three Lesser Primordial Supplement Pills were still somewhat insufficient, and the worry of medicinal toxins exacerbating the condition remained.

To replenish qixue and strengthen yuanqi, nothing in the world surpassed the innate essence he carried within his body, taken from the Thunder Phoenix egg. Since it was already accumulated and undigested, it could perfectly aid Xuanyuan Yiren’s recovery. After administering nearly half a small bowl of blood, the natural flush returned to Xuanyuan Yiren’s face, and the patch of flame vanished without a trace.

Zong Shou’s brow, however, remained deeply furrowed. This was merely treating the symptoms, not the root cause. Moreover, the situation of fire entering the lung meridian had reached an extremely perilous stage.

He retracted all the golden needles and fell back into deep contemplation.

“It seems I still need to urge this girl to cultivate the Cold Spirit Profound Intent Pill. While it won’t cure the root problem, it can suppress the fire within the meridians to some extent. However, resolving it completely will require a different strategy…”

Suddenly, an idea struck him, and Zong Shou’s fingers began to move unconsciously, tracing along the path of her meridians on Xuanyuan Yiren’s body.

“Fire entering the lung is caused by an overabundance of heart fire. Perhaps I can approach it through the spleen or kidney meridians. Unfortunately, I only know the general principles of the Xuan Yue Mu Huang Jue; fully resolving this will take time!”

Suddenly, his fingertip brushed against something soft. Zong Shou instinctively pressed down, registering a pleasing tactile sensation. He allowed himself another unconscious squeeze before his consciousness snapped back abruptly, realizing the atmosphere inside the carriage had suddenly turned icy cold.

Looking down, he saw Xuanyuan Yiren, already awake, staring at him with wide, heartbreakingly furious eyes. Tears welled up, yet her gaze burned with rage.

Large beads of cold sweat instantly erupted on Zong Shou’s forehead. He opened his mouth to explain, but the moment he saw his hand resting directly upon Xuanyuan Yiren’s delicate breast, he snatched it back as if scalded, left utterly speechless and unable to utter a word.

Xuanyuan Yiren straightened up, hastily pulling her clothing back into place. Then, biting her lip fiercely, she glared daggers at Zong Shou.