Chapter 324: with translation of chapter title

"Xiao Jiu…… Xiao Jiu…… wake up……"

I slowly woke up in Bái Jīngmò's calls; what met my eyes was an unfamiliar environment, and turning my head I saw not only Bái Jīngmò but also Bái Sōnglán standing beside the bed.

"Don't move yet."

Bái Jīngmò said, already pulling out the silver needles one by one.

Only then did I discover that many places on my body had been pierced with fine, long silver needles.

Those silver needles precisely entered my acupoints, suppressing the discomfort in my body.

After a while, all the silver needles were removed; Bái Sōnglán waved her hand, letting Bái Jīngmò leave.

Bái Jīngmò looked at me with some worry, then at Bái Sōnglán.

Bái Sōnglán said coldly: 'Could I possibly eat her? Get out!'

Bái Jīngmò dared not defy his family's Immortal Clan; he could only gather the silver needles and leave, closing the door behind him.

I propped myself up and sat, moved my limbs a little, was about to say thanks when Bái Sōnglán spoke first: 'Aren't you impressive? Didn't you look down on me? How could you trip while walking, faint in the street waiting for someone to collect your corpse?'

I glanced at her and said: 'No way, a mortal body can't compare to you cultivators.'

Bái Sōnglán crossed her arms, continuing to mock me: 'So weak, what do you have to compare with me? To fight me?'

Fine, I'll wait for you here.

I didn't have the leisure to argue with her here; recalling what Uncle Huo said about Bái Jīngmò preparing medicine for his family's Immortal Clan, and glancing at Bái Sōnglán's veil, I asked: 'Have you taken medicine for treatment? Is the wound on your face better?'

My tone was calm, as if I were caring for an old friend.

Bái Sōnglán was choked, her grumbling forced down.

She stood there silently for a moment, then reached out and pulled off her veil.

Under the veil, the lower half of her face, which had originally been rotted beyond recognition, now had no necrotic flesh; the wound was scabbing, and in some places new skin had grown.

Bái Sōnglán's injury was caused by a backlash of her inner demon.

Bái Jīngmò's medicine could only play a supportive role; the key was still her state of mind.

Her injury was improving, indicating that Bái Sōnglán had become more open-minded than before.

That's a good thing.

I sincerely said: 'Congratulations.'

Then I blinked and added: 'You're still quite good-looking.'

Bái Sōnglán's cheeks suddenly flushed; she glared at me fiercely and said: 'Silver-tongued! You usually sweet-talk people with that honey-coated rhetoric, don't you?'

I raised an eyebrow: 'How? Want to learn? I'll teach you.'

'Who cares!' Bái Sōnglán gave me another look, retied her veil, and said: 'I heard you found the Soul‑piercer?'

How come the news is so well‑informed?

I hummed: 'I just got it a few days ago.'

'Since you plan to separate that stray soul fragment that doesn't belong to you, why swallow another inner elixir?' Bái Sōnglán snapped, 'Do you have so many inner elixirs you have nowhere to put them? Stuffing them all into your body, aren't you afraid your blood vessels will burst? Even if a Great Luo Immortal came, they couldn't save you.'

Her tone was unfriendly, yet what she said sounded to my ears like another meaning: 'Are you concerned about me?'

Bái Sōnglán snorted: 'That's what you yourself said—only evenly matched opponents are worthy of each other. I'm already improving, yet you're courting death; I'm afraid that if I snatch the Xingyi from you, there'll be no audience to bless us, which would be a pity.'

I sighed and said: 'But your Xingyi has already changed a lot; with the recent series of changes in Wufu Town, you should have sensed them before I did. Do you want to go see what he's like now?'

Bái Sōnglán instinctively wanted to refuse.

But I reached out and took her hand: 'Still afraid to face it? I thought your inner strength was already sufficient.'

'Who says I don't dare face it?' Bái Sōnglán stubbornly replied, 'I'm just afraid your legs will go weak and you won't be able to walk, so I'd have to carry you back.'

I then flopped onto the bed, feigning reluctance: 'Then I won't go back; your needling skill is quite good—I'll stay a couple more days with you.'

Bái Sōnglán exclaimed in surprise: 'How do you know it was me who gave you the needles?'

I curled the corner of my mouth slightly.

That's the reason why, after waking up, I find Bái Sōnglán pleasing to the eye.

'I've known Bái Jīngmò for many years; his needling skill is indeed exquisite, but compared to you, he still lacks a bit of finesse.'

The needles inserted in my body—how deep and how accurate they are—I know better than anyone.

Bái Jīngmò's foundation is far from enough.

And Bái Sōnglán, after being shouted at and oppressed by me, still came to my rescue when my life was at stake, which sufficiently shows her innate goodness.

Indeed, if her nature were truly evil, Hui Moqiong would not keep calling her 'Bai sister, Bai sister,' nor would they have cultivated together in the Qinling Mountains for so many years.

A single 'love' character exhausted all her heart and blood, leading her to fall into her inner demon.

Those years, she couldn't even save herself from water or fire, let alone have the energy to manage the Bai Immortal Hall.

This directly led to the emergence of people like Bai Xian'er and the Old Lady Bai.

After the Old Lady Bai died, Bai Xian'er rebelled, and during that period even Bái Jīngmò began to act abnormally.

If Bái Sōnglán could never dispel her inner demon and rise up, the Bai Immortal Hall would truly be doomed.

Fortunately, she is now clearly improving, and Bái Jīngmò has also become much more restrained.

I deeply know how difficult this step is for Bái Sōnglán.

What she faces is not only her own inner demon, but also the countless karmic obstacles the Bai Immortal Hall has accumulated over the years.

These all require her to lead the Bai Immortal Hall in continually accumulating Merit to repay them.

I am pleased to see Bái Sōnglán's improvement, after all she is one of the Five Blessings Immortals; her influence on the Dang Pu and Wufu Town could be significant.

Bái Sōnglán raised her hand to pull me up, saying: 'Get up, stop pretending to be dead here; I'll send you back.'

I scrambled to my feet, and Bái Sōnglán had already strode out.

I caught up and asked her: 'If I feel unwell again, can I just come directly to you for needling?'

'The Bai Family Medical Hall is open for business; as long as you pay enough, having me come to your home to give you needles is no problem.' Bái Sōnglán countered, 'But I'm very busy; I'll be going into seclusion soon, so if I'm not around when you have an attack, are you just going to lie there and wait to die?'

I shrugged, feigning helplessness, and said: "What can I do? After all, extracting remnants of souls and spirits isn't something just any medic can do."

Bái Sōnglán shot me another vicious look, her strides growing longer and faster.

I ran up, grabbed her arm, and asked with a fawning smile: "White Doctor Immortal, may I ask what your consultation fee is? Just give me a number, and I'll go break the pots and sell the iron to scrape together……"

Bái Sōnglán's steps came to an abrupt stop; I saw her eyes swirl, as if she were concealing something nasty, and I realized it was bad—I was about to hoist a stone only to drop it on my own foot.

Bái Sōnglán locked eyes with me and said: "Then I want Willow Row One, Xiao Jiu—can you provide it?"