Chapter 60: The Art of Acupuncture

"No money is fine, but..." Duan Rong's gaze swept over Zhu Xiaoqi's right foot, and he hesitated for a moment.

"But what..."

"I see, Xiao Qi, you are wearing a silver bracelet on your foot. Could you lend it to me for a look?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xiaoqi's face turned red instantly, and she gave Duan Rong a strange look.

The meaning of that look could not have been more obvious!

It was suspicion that Duan Rong might be a fetishist pervert!

Duan Rong waved his hands repeatedly and explained, "Do not misunderstand! My mother also had a silver bracelet just like this one; I just wanted to take a look..."

As Duan Rong spoke, he lowered his head, putting on a dejected and sorrowful appearance.

After all, having lived two lifetimes, when Duan Rong lied, he not only had a whole set of excuses ready, but he could do so without changing his expression or heart rate, and he even appeared quite sincere!

Zhu Xiaoqi's heart was indeed moved; the silver bracelet on her foot was also left to her by her mother when she passed away.

Looking at it this way, she and Duan Rong were both miserable people suffering from the same misfortune...

"Is that so... In that case... I can let you see it..."

Hearing this, Duan Rong raised his head and smiled, saying, "Then it's a deal!"

Zhu Xiaoqi also smiled, revealing two rows of bright white little teeth, and said, "Let's go to the main hall; the main hall is brighter than this!"

As she spoke, Zhu Xiaoqi tidied up the brushes and dyes on the small table and excitedly took them to the tea table in the main hall to set them up.

Zhu Xiaoqi sat opposite Duan Rong, and Duan Rong gazed at her, pondering the plan for the painting!

Zhu Xiaoqi had always been a brisk and generous girl, but suddenly sitting face-to-face with a man like this, and being stared at by him, she felt a bit shy, and two blushes flew onto her face.

Just as Duan Rong was about to put his brush to paper, Zhu Xiaoqi suddenly stood up and said, "Wait for me, I'm going to the kitchen to add some firewood to the stove!"

As she spoke, she lifted her skirt and ran out; she still had buns with sour and spicy dried bean filling steaming on the stove!

A few breaths later, Zhu Xiaoqi ran back and sat on the chair, her little mouth panting, her chest rising and falling...

Duan Rong suddenly noticed a smudge of black charcoal on Zhu Xiaoqi's face, streaking right up to the tip of her nose, and he laughed immediately. He pointed to his own right cheek and said, "Xiao Qi, there is something black on your face..."

"Where?..." Zhu Xiaoqi swiped at her face with her hand, but the spot on the tip of her nose was still not wiped off.

Duan Rong smiled and stood up from his seat, leaning over the tea table, and with his finger, he touched the tip of Zhu Xiaoqi's nose, wiping away the charcoal smudge.

Then he extended his finger toward Zhu Xiaoqi; one could see a faint black smudge on the pad of his index finger. Duan Rong smiled and said, "There... it was on the tip of your nose..."

Zhu Xiaoqi smiled with a hint of shyness; inside her fresh, lychee-like red lips, her little white teeth jumped between her lips and tongue, like little rabbits wandering far away in the fields...

It only took Duan Rong about a quarter of an hour to paint this portrait of Zhu Xiaoqi!

Because a girl like Zhu Xiaoqi was a type of client he was familiar with—the petite type—Duan Rong had already studied thoroughly how to paint such clients!

At this moment, it could be said that it came naturally to him!

Zhu Xiaoqi took the painting and looked at herself in it, her eyes shining, and she kept on laughing...

What young girl does not love beauty!

A woman's obsession with beauty is probably the same as a man's greed for power and status!

Both are carved deep into the most primitive genes!

Xiao Baijiao watched Duan Rong and Zhu Xiaoqi leave from her boudoir, and her expression dimmed immediately...

Her health was poor, and she stayed in her room all year round; she couldn't even go out for leisure, let alone roam the world on horseback like her sister Xiao Yu...

Although her father was the Chief Instructor, he was cold-faced and cold-hearted toward those Apprentices, teaching one batch and letting them leave, with Duan Rong being the only exception.

Last time, he even kept him at home for a simple meal.

It was also because of the familiarity from last time that she dared to let Zhu Xiaoqi call Duan Rong over to paint this time.

It was just that when she was chatting with Duan Rong in the room earlier, she discovered that the dark loneliness entwined at the bottom of her heart had actually dissipated briefly...

She had always thought that she had sunk into the depths of that darkness, beyond redemption, but now, she had faintly seen light...

That light could penetrate the darkness and drive away her loneliness!

However, she had an illness, and her life would not be long!

Thinking of this, she felt a pang of heartache!

Although Xiao Qi was just a maid, she could live a healthy life; in the future, she could marry and have her own family and children!

But she...

As Xiao Baijiao thought of this, the pain flooded her like a torrent...

Her mental defenses collapsed, her body began to twitch uncontrollably, her eyes rolled upward, and white foam began to spill from the corners of her mouth...

With a thud, she collapsed to the ground...

Zhu Xiaoqi was laughing while holding the painting when she suddenly heard a thud from the Inner Room on the east side!

Zhu Xiaoqi disregarded the painting in her hand, unleashed her movement technique, swift as fire, and flashed past!

The painting fluttered in the bright main hall, swayed a few times, and drifted to the floor.

From the Inner Room, Zhu Xiaoqi's panicked cry immediately followed, with a faint sobbing tone in her voice!

"Master, the Second Miss is having a seizure!"

Just as Duan Rong rushed over with an anxious look, Xiao Zongting also charged over and pushed Duan Rong aside.

Zhu Xiaoqi handed over the Ebony Chopsticks wrapped in cotton cloth and the Needle Pouch. Xiao Zongting immediately reached out to take them, his voice hoarse as he said, "Go find Doctor Gu!"

Seeing turbid tears shimmering in Xiao Zongting's eyes, Zhu Xiaoqi's figure flickered, and she darted out!

Xiao Zongting first used the Ebony Chopsticks to wedge between Xiao Baijiao's upper and lower teeth, then opened the Needle Pouch, pinched seven Silver Needles in succession, and inserted them into seven acupuncture points on Xiao Baijiao!

This was the emergency acupuncture technique that Gu Suxiu had specifically taught Xiao Zongting, intended for saving Xiao Baijiao in an emergency.

Usually, after these seven needles were applied, Xiao Baijiao's convulsions would subside, and her breathing would become steadier, allowing time for Gu Suxiu to arrive and treat her!

But today, after these seven needles were applied, Xiao Baijiao's convulsions remained severe, her breathing became increasingly rapid, she kept spitting white foam, and her eyes rolled back even more violently...

It was as if she were on the verge of breathing her last!

Seeing his daughter like this, Xiao Zongting's legs suddenly went limp like mud, and he cried out, "Xiao Baijiao, you cannot leave! Come back to me! Daughter, I forbid you from leaving! Come back to me! Did you hear me?"

Duan Rong suddenly lunged over, picked up a Silver Needle from the Needle Pouch, and without a moment's hesitation, with skilled technique, pierced them one by one into several acupoints on Xiao Baijiao's forehead and the front and back of her neck.

Xiao Zongting came back to his senses and was just about to stop him when he suddenly saw Xiao Baijiao's breathing recover somewhat, her upturned eyelids were not as severe, and the convulsions of her whole body were also lessening...

It was as if she had caught her breath!

Xiao Zongting's emotions calmed slightly; at this moment, he had no time to care how Duan Rong knew the art of acupuncture, he simply wept with joy, tears streaming down incessantly, and he kept wiping the white foam from Xiao Baijiao's mouth with his hand, fearing that the foam would flow into her nostrils and block Xiao Baijiao's breathing...

After a while, Gu Suxiu, pushed by Zhu Xiaoqi, walked in panting for breath.

As soon as he saw the Silver Needles on Xiao Baijiao's body, his eyes flickered, and he exclaimed, "Who inserted these needles?"

Xiao Zongting glanced at Duan Rong and said, "Save the person first!"

Gu Suxiu caught his breath, took a look, and seeing that Xiao Baijiao's breathing had temporarily stabilized, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, put down his medicine chest, and said, "You two go out first, just let Xiao Qi stay here to help."

Duan Rong immediately supported the weak-legged Xiao Zongting, limped out of the Inner Room, and came to the main hall, where Duan Rong helped Xiao Zongting sit on a grand armchair.

(End of this chapter)