Chapter 2259: Miao Jiang Youth's Fierce Love 22

Holy Son Tower.

The water in the tea kettle had just come to a boil when Jin Chen's hand holding the pot suddenly paused.

A thread of tightening pain came from his chest, to the point where his spiritual awareness could barely suppress it.

What happened to Jin Que?

Nan Yixing raised his gaze and saw the youth's brows slightly furrowed, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing his chest.

"Is the tea bitter?"

Nan Yixing took the celadon pot from his hand, his knuckles inadvertently brushing the silver bell on the other's wrist.

The tea rippled in the cup, forming fine lines that reflected Jin Chen's suddenly pallid lips.

Jin Chen shook his head, about to speak, when the bamboo ladder suddenly sounded with hurried footsteps.

He Mo Ning rushed in, drenched in sweat, his shoulders still smeared with the medicine hut's distinctive mugwort ash.

"Young Master Jin Chen——"

He panted heavily; when his eyes fell on the youth's calm face, he visibly startled, "You… you don't feel chest pain? Jin Que Dage just vomited blood, and now……"

"Chief Physician, please go with Senior Brother to have a look."

Before the words finished, Nan Yixing had already risen and grabbed the medicine box.

Jin Chen slowly finished the last sip of tea, tapping his fingertips on the table.

"This time he can actually endure it; he only let me know after vomiting blood."

He Mo Ning anxiously grabbed his sleeve, "The Chief Physician said the gu poison has already spread to the heart meridians!"

He turned to Nan Yixing, "Senior Brother, Jin Que Dage has been keeping in mind what you said last time about the Golden Needle Pass—does it really work?"

Nan Yixing's hand paused on the medicine box's clasp, frowning, "You're a South Gate disciple—what do you think?"

He Mo Ning, flustered from worry, only then realized, "I……"

Jin Chen let out a soft laugh, the silver bell chiming crisply as he stood up, "Let's go, Bodhisattva older brother."

As he brushed past He Mo Ning, he gave him a meaningful glance, "If we delay any longer, I fear we'll have to collect Jin Que's corpse."

When the bamboo curtain was rolled up, Nan Yixing caught sight of Jin Chen steadying himself against the door frame.

That swaying silhouette in the sunlight steadied, ramrod straight; his brow twitched slightly, he took a few quick steps and took Jin Chen's hand—indeed, it was no longer warm as before.

Jin Chen let his spiritual power wander through his heart meridians, inwardly cursing Jin Que repeatedly.

"Does it hurt badly?" Nan Yixing asked softly.

Jin Chen exerted a little force to pull him into his embrace, giving a soft hum.

Tch.

Just feeling wronged.

Wife, snuggle.

—

Jin Que's bamboo lodge was even more suffused with the bitter scent of medicine than usual.

The medicine hanging by the window gurgled, filling the room with steaming white mist.

Jin Chen leaned against the door frame, watching the person propped at the head of the bed clutch the sheets with pale fingers, joints tinged with a sickly blue.

"Ah Chen." Jin Que coughed, pushing himself up, blood still staining his lips, "Your chest……"

"I'm fine."

Jin Chen tapped his fingertips on the carved vine pattern of the door frame, the silver bell ringing with the motion, unreservedly.

"It's you who looks like you're about to cough up your lungs—don't talk to me, don't say I harmed you again."

Nan Yixing's medicine box was set on the long table beside the bed, emitting a faint clack.

Jin Que met his gaze, then quickly lowered his eyelids, allowing the calloused fingertips to rest on his wrist pulse.

Between them lay only a sliver of sunlight leaking through the window crack; dust motes floated in the beam, the atmosphere faintly confrontational.

【How strange.】Ling Gun Gun was sharp‑eyed, his bean‑sized eyes staring straight at Jin Que, then at his own host.

【Gee! He likes……】

Jin Chen heard it, and before the speaker could finish, he slapped it back, 【Silence.】

Absolutely impossible, it makes people shudder.

"The gu insects devour the heart, already damaging the Hand Lesser Yin Meridian."

Nan Yixing withdrew his hand, slowly wiping his fingertips with a handkerchief, "Let me first needle you to stop the pain."

Jin Chen suddenly asked, "Since the gu insects are acting up, can we use this opportunity to force them out?"

As soon as he spoke, the room fell abruptly silent.

He Mo Ning, privy to some inside information, trembled as he held the medicine bowl, nearly spilling the decoction.

He instinctively glanced at Jin Que, only to see the other's fingertips suddenly clench, visibly uneasy.

The Chief Physician's brows knit tightly as he shook his head, "Young Master, the life‑substituting gu is already linked to both of your heart meridians—twin lives, twin deaths; if we forcibly draw it out, we may harm the root, ending in mutual loss……"

Jin Chen snorted, his eyes falling on Jin Que, "What do you think?"

Jin Que lifted his eyes, locking gazes with Jin Chen.

A faint smile touched his lips, his voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

"If Ah Chen wants to resolve it, let him do so."

Nan Yixing stood to one side, his gaze heavy as he fixed on Jin Que.

He reached out again to touch Jin Que's pulse, pressing slightly with his fingertips, as if trying to pierce that thin layer of skin to probe the deepest, most hidden corner of his heart.

Jin Que allowed him to take his pulse, his expression calm; only his eyelashes trembled ever so slightly, betraying a flicker of feeling.

Nan Yixing withdrew his hand, saying lightly, "The gu insects are agitated because the heart is unsettled; forcing them out would indeed be dangerous."

The old man's gaze wandered between the two brothers, and he remarked, "It's strange that the young master wasn't implicated today—quite a marvel."

Jin Chen paced to the bedside, a shadow falling over Jin Que's pale face, "Just dispelling the gu—what are you nervous about?"

"Could it be that you're afraid I'll force the gu out, leaving you no excuse to keep playing the sickly seedling?"

I've long suspected that this gu worm is inseparable from Jin Que!

Jin Que's cough suddenly worsened, his clenched fingers wrinkling the blue-silk sheet.

Nan Yixing silently pressed down on Jin Chen's wrist, feeling the faint tremor beneath the skin—clearly another sign of impaired pulse.

"Young master, there's one more thing… this gu disturbance is no small matter; we may still need to draw blood."

The chief physician's voice tightened, stammering, "The young master needs only three drops of heart's blood…"

"No."

Nan Yixing was the first to interrupt, his voice low but firm as iron.

His fingertip bore a silver needle that gleamed coldly in the candlelight, aimed at Jin Que's wrist, "The young master's condition is also poor—he can't give blood."

Jin Chen leaned against the bed, unconsciously rubbing the fabric over his chest; hearing Nan Yixing's words, his lips curled slightly, confident and unafraid.

"Exactly."

The chief physician's face showed difficulty: "But Jin Que's current condition…"

"I'll do it." Nan Yixing interrupted, his voice carrying unquestionable resolve.

He drew the piercing bone needle from his medicine pouch, its tip tempered in the candle flame, "Using the piercing bone needle technique will at least keep him from erupting for half a month."

Jin Que leaned against the headboard, his face as white as paper.

His gaze fell on Jin Chen, then quickly shifted away.

"It's not necessary," his voice so weak it was barely audible, "I can hold on."

The chief physician stamped his foot in anxiety, "But the Miao King said he would prolong your life—your gu poison flares are growing ever more frequent; if this continues…"

"I said no, and that means no."

Nan Yixing's voice was as cold as ice; for a moment one couldn't tell whether jealousy or heartache predominated.

"Jin Chen is a living person, not a medicinal guide, nor a tool to prolong Jin Que's life."

"Do you know how painful it is to draw heart's blood? It's enough to fell a strong man in a faint."

Hearing this, Jin Que clenched the blanket, his knuckles whitening.

He closed his eyes; his long lashes cast shadows on his pallid face as his Adam's apple struggled to move.