Chapter 12

On the second floor of the Lin family clinic, in a spacious consultation room,

Lady Liu, adorned in gold and jade, rose with the help of her maid, holding a medicine box as she thanked them:

"You've gone to so much trouble, Little Sister Lin—do visit my home sometime, we'll continue our chat."

"Of course, Lady Liu, take care on your way."

"No need to see me off, Little Sister Lin, you're too kind…"

……

Lin Wanyi rose to see her off, her eyebrows curved, her demeanor refined, like a peony blooming in quiet splendor.

But once Lady Liu had left the consultation room, Lin Wanyi's brow tightened with a hint of resignation.

As Jingcheng's foremost female physician, Lin Wanyi inevitably dealt with the wives of the city's wealthy families.

The ladies of noble households were simply beyond words—they knew her alchemical skills were exceptional, and devised all sorts of schemes to trick her into giving them potent, dangerous medicines; because she was approachable, once they grew familiar, they'd even confide in her all manner of intimate details.

Lin Wanyi was still a maiden, yet through constant exposure, she knew every possible posture by heart—how could she possibly be willing?

But she couldn't turn away patients, and if things continued like this, she truly feared she'd become a Wu Sect witch.

By the tea table, the maid Qinwen, who was tidying the tea set, also complained after Lady Liu descended the stairs:

"These ladies are ridiculous—when they're sick, they come for medicine, fine, but when they're perfectly healthy, they still show up prying into everything, especially Yang the Constable's wife—her husband's so robust, yet she still comes bothering Miss, doesn't she fear ending up bedridden?"

"Madam Yang thinks her husband is dull and lacks bedroom charm, so she came to me for advice."

"Madam Yang doesn't understand, so Miss understands? Miss has never married—she's Jingcheng's famed physician, yet these ladies treat her like a 'bedroom expert'—it's just…"

"Enough, what if someone overhears you talking nonsense?"

Lin Wanyi sat down behind her desk and picked up a scroll to read:

"How did the students supported by the clinic fare in this year's autumn examinations?"

Qinwen, her personal steward, grew even more displeased upon hearing this, approaching to tidy the tea set:

"What else could it be? Aside from Zisu ranking at the top, everyone else barely scraped by with a 'B' grade. I just don't get it—Miss supports a whole group of students in Jingcheng, and now here in Danyang too, spending so much money every year, yet not one has risen to become an official or noble—even landowners don't have surplus grain…"

Lin Wanyi did indeed support many young men from humble backgrounds, but her original intent wasn't purely altruistic—she owed the Wu Sect a tremendous debt and needed to acquire a precious treasure to repay it; since she couldn't get it in Jingcheng, she came to Danyang to find an opening.

But any connection to the Wu Sect was a grave taboo—she dared not even tell her personal maid—so Lin Wanyi merely pushed her small spectacles:

"Helping students is an act of accumulating hidden virtue; if they don't succeed, there's nothing to be done. Winter is coming soon, many students will go to the Academy seeking education—keep an eye out for promising candidates…"

"Still looking? We're already supporting seven or eight people…"

"Just do as I say!"

……

Knock knock knock…

As the mistress and maid spoke thus, a clinic apprentice suddenly ran up the stairs, peering in from the doorway, his eyes filled with surprise:

"Master, there's a Young Master downstairs asking for you—he calls himself Xie Jinhuan."

"Xie Jinhuan?"

Lin Wanyi's hand paused mid-turn of the scroll—she recalled the young righteous man from last night—and immediately rose:

"Quick, show him up…"

……

——

Moments later.

Xie Jinhuan, carrying Meiqiu, who craned her neck to look around, arrived on the second floor under the apprentice's guidance, and there before him walked Lin Wanyi, tall and graceful, smiling as she approached:

"Young Master Xie, I was attending to a patient just now, I apologize for the delay."

As a physician in the clinic, Lin Wanyi dressed with quiet elegance—a pale blue waist-length ruqun paired with a soft gauze outer robe, her steps swaying gently, her lapel trembling with each motion.

Xie Jinhuan gave her a brief glance, finding it nearly impossible to imagine such a gentle, virtuous beauty could be a Wu Sect witch who raised spirit puppets—he stepped forward and bowed respectfully:

"Miss Lin, you're too kind."

"Gujī~"

"Young Master, please sit. This bird is truly beautiful."

Lin Wanyi lived up to her name—her bearing was exquisite, radiating a soothing, water-like calm; she invited Xie Jinhuan to sit beside the tea table and swept her sleeve to refill his cup:

"Yesterday, you came to my aid—I haven't even had the chance to thank you, I'm truly ashamed."

"It was nothing…"

Xie Jinhuan's purpose was clear—he sought a spiritual elixir—and after a few casual words, his gaze settled on Lin Wanyi's spectacles:

"Miss Lin, you seem to have some cultivation foundation—if you'd trained your body since childhood, your eyes shouldn't have deteriorated. Are you wearing these because your Shamanist cultivation technique has gone awry?"

Lin Wanyi was playfully teasing Meiqiu, but at these words, her smile froze slightly.

Since joining the Wu Sect, her body had indeed developed issues—accumulated yin-cold energy caused her chest pain every new moon night, and her vision had also been affected.

But any Shamanist cultivation technique with no side effects would be abnormal—how could she reveal this to an outsider? After a moment's thought, she merely smiled and shook her head:

"Young Master misunderstands—I've read medical texts since childhood; it's probably just eye strain."

Seeing Lin Wanyi deny it, Xie Jinhuan assumed the posture of observation, listening, inquiry, and palpation:

"I observe your complexion—your yin energy is excessive, with stagnant yin-cold qi in your body. If your cultivation technique has gone wrong, the consequences range from demonic corruption to death—it's no trivial matter. If you truly have a hidden illness…"

"?"

Lin Wanyi froze, her hand rising to touch her flawless face, thinking inwardly:

He can tell this just by looking?

Did he open his heavenly eyes?

Seeing Xie Jinhuan so certain, Lin Wanyi feared he might uncover her true nature and cut him off:

"I'm a physician—my skills are known even in Danyang City—I take care of my own health, Young Master, you're worrying unnecessarily."

Xie Jinhuan saw Lin Wanyi stubbornly denying it, and fell silent.

He couldn't just say: "Miss Lin, you don't want your identity as a Wu Sect witch to be revealed, do you?"

There were already too many problems right now—if Lin Wanyi, fearing exposure, cast a curse on him, wouldn't that be inviting trouble for no reason?

Xie Jinhuan quietly crafted his words, pondering how to break through this veil of secrecy, when Meiqiu, perched on his lap, suddenly tilted her head toward the Zhenglun Sword at his waist:

"Gūjī?!"

Then, as if seeing a ghost, she immediately flew out the window.

Xie Jinhuan saw this and knew the ghost was about to cause trouble—and as expected, it happened.

Lin Wanyi, who had been suspiciously observing, suddenly felt dizziness surge in her mind, her thoughts growing hazy.

Then, the yin-cold qi trapped within her body surged chaotically toward her heart meridian; she let out a muffled groan, her cheeks instantly drained of color, dark blue veins creeping along her meridians across her pale hands, her whole body swaying precariously as she knocked over the tea bowl.

Splash~

Xie Jinhuan glanced at the red-robed ghost behind Lin Wanyi, realizing she was helping; he immediately raised his hand to steady the tea table, his face serious:

"Miss Lin, what's wrong? Are you unwell?"

"I… I…"

Lin Wanyi felt a chilling breeze at her back; she merely blinked, and the suppressed yin-cold qi seized the opportunity, surging straight into her lungs and organs.

Her body trembled violently; she could barely maintain her seated posture, leaning helplessly against the chair as she struggled to suppress the yin-cold qi surging through her chest.

But since she couldn't even sense the red-robed ghost behind her, how could she possibly control her dazed mind?

Xie Jinhuan, seeing Lin Wanyi unable to contain it, asked with concern:

"Shall I call a physician?"

"No… don't…"

Lin Wanyi's secret ties to the Wu Sect were so hidden that even her maidservant didn't know—how could she let a clinic physician take her pulse? With all her strength, she grabbed Xie Jinhuan's sleeve, desperately suppressing the icy qi permeating her body.

But this only made things worse—she felt a tidal wave of dizziness in her head, the yin-cold qi intensifying until her heartbeat pounded like a drum, her breathing grew ragged, and beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.

Xie Jinhuan saw Lin Wanyi's eyes beginning to glaze over; he realized he'd gone too far, and quietly glanced at the red-robed ghost behind him, signaling to stop.

Ye Hongshang, standing behind causing mischief, replied:

"Use silver needles to gather qi, pierce the Tian Ding and Jiu Wei acupoints."

Hearing the hint, Xie Jinhuan swiftly searched the examination table.

Lin Wanyi, struggling to suppress the qi, saw his movements and asked:

"W-what are you doing?"

"I have a way to help you. Where are the needles? I'll administer them."

"Administer needles?"

As a physician, Lin Wanyi naturally understood the procedure of acupuncture.

With yin-cold qi assaulting the heart meridian, the standard treatment would be to stimulate chest acupoints…

That would require removing her clothing?

Lin Wanyi glanced at her collar, and an image flashed in her mind:

Xie Jinhuan would rush over, ignore her furious resistance, and forcibly unbutton her upper garment…

She'd struggle helplessly, unable to evade, tears welling in her eyes as she endured humiliation…

How could this be allowed?!

A flush of shame and panic darkened Lin Wanyi's pale cheeks; seeing Xie Jinhuan retrieve the needles by the window, she struggled to rise:

"N-no… I don't need you…"

Before she finished speaking, she noticed the white-robed Young Master, over a zhang away, gently flicking his fingers.

Shh-shh~

Two silver needles shot through the air, leaving faint trails of cold light within the room.

Lin Wanyi was startled—her chest was full of vital acupoints; striking them from this distance with needles infused with true qi could easily cripple her if there was the slightest error.

She tried to dodge, but the cold qi had seized her heart, making movement difficult; before she could react, the needles pierced her neck and upper abdomen.

"Keh~"

True qi flowed through the needles into the acupoints; Lin Wanyi let out a muffled groan, her trembling immediately subsiding, as if the yin-cold qi had been sealed within her chest and abdomen.

"You?!"

Lin Wanyi realized the needles had struck the acupoints with perfect precision—depth, force, and qi containment all exact beyond belief; her expression shifted from shame and fury to astonishment.

Warriors were skilled at striking acupoints, but their goal was usually to kill or maim—force was all that mattered; physicians, however, had far more to consider.

Lin Wanyi's strength was no low level—she could tell how difficult it was to strike acupoints from afar while the patient's breathing was erratic and body unsteady, yet still control the qi's force with pinpoint accuracy.

Especially one needle aimed at the Zhongwan acupoint.

The Zhongwan lies at the center of the chest; for men, it's manageable—but women naturally have soft tissue there.

She was naturally beautiful, her chest full and tightly wrapped in her robe; due to its size, as she leaned back in the chair, the inch-long needle hadn't even reached the depth of her cleavage—normally, one would have to remove clothing and spread the soft flesh to administer the needle.

Yet Xie Jinhuan barely glanced—he flicked the needle, and at the exact moment she inhaled, causing her robe and undergarment to swell, the needle pierced through fabric and undergarment, slipping between the two mounds to strike the Zhongwan acupoint with perfect precision, without a single scratch to skin or flesh, the force perfectly calibrated.

If he could predict her movements and breath so accurately when needling, he could do the same when killing.

He was barely twenty—how had he trained such an expert hand?

Lin Wanyi stared at him in shock; after a moment of stunned silence, a thought suddenly struck her mind:

"This… isn't this the person I've been looking for?!"

(End of Chapter)