An inner-sect disciple of Chixiao Peak had their precious pill stolen—this was no trivial matter.
Especially since that Supreme-Grade Heart-Guarding Pill was worth over ten thousand mid-grade spirit stones. To obtain it, Xiao Yifeng had pulled every string he could and borrowed from everyone he knew! His plan was simple: as a pill refiner, once he learned how to make supreme-grade Heart-Guarding Pills, paying back the debt would be a breeze.
When asked when the pill had gone missing, Xiao Yifeng stammered and could only say it had vanished into thin air from his storage pouch.
He hadn't let the pouch out of his sight since returning from the foot of the mountain and had even checked it again when re-entering Qingyun Sect.
Yet the pill had disappeared mysteriously.
Qingxuan Daoist and the elders, who had been prepared to fight for Xiao Yifeng's justice, were left speechless by this explanation.
Sect Leader Wu Duantian immediately ordered a sect-wide lockdown. Every disciple was forced to submit all their belongings for inspection—but despite the chaos, nothing was found.
"If I ever find out who stole my pill, I'll tear them to pieces!"
Xiao Yifeng swore furiously to the heavens.
…
While Xiao Yifeng was swearing vengeance, on the other side, Chen Huaian had already fed the Heart-Guarding Pill to Li Qingran.
"Ah-choo!"
"Who the hell is talking about me?"
Chen Huaian sneezed three times in a row, then quickly focused back on the phone screen as new prompts popped up.
[Please press the Qihai acupoint with your left hand and circulate spiritual energy toward it. Then swipe your finger toward the Guanyuan point.]
[Please use your right hand to perform acupuncture according to the Kai Mai Needle method.]
The screen zoomed in on Li Qingran's waist and lower abdomen.
Due to the heart demon's influence, she was drenched in sweat, and her thin robe had turned semi-transparent, revealing enticing curves and the inner dudou (belly wrap) — a light green fabric resembling a little skirt covering her upper thighs, embroidered with what looked like a lotus leaf and a small frog. On the lower right corner were three wobbly characters: Li Qingran.
"Wait… Did she embroider that herself?"
Chen Huaian's fleeting thoughts of romance were instantly extinguished by the clumsy handwriting.
That handwriting looked eerily familiar.
It was just like the wonky scrawl on his protective charm and bracelet…
Before he could double-check, golden light began glowing on the Qihai and Guanyuan acupoints, guiding him to touch them.
As his thumb and forefinger pressed down, he could feel her body tremble slightly.
"That shouldn't hurt, right?" he wondered.
Unbeknownst to him, Li Qingran was biting her lip tightly, her face flushed red to her ears.
The screen was now split into two:
Left, everything from her waist down to her thighs.
Right, her upper torso—everything from her collarbone to her waist.
A string of acupuncture points lit up one by one, and Chen Huaian hurried to follow the sequence and apply the needles.
…
Meanwhile, Li Qingran was still trapped in the pitch-black mire of her inner demons.
Mocking voices and curses echoed endlessly. Her body felt bound by invisible threads, pain lancing through every joint, yet she was utterly paralyzed.
Familiar faces — Qingxuan Daoist, Lu Changtian, Xiao Yifeng, Yun Zimo, Zhang Hanxiao, Mu Baishuang — along with countless sectmates from Qingyun Sect, all appeared in a monstrous, rotating wall of faces.
Different voices, identical disdain, venomous words spewing from gaping mouths:
"Li Qingran, you think you're worthy of Foundation Establishment? Laughable!"
"Wretch! You deserved to have your cultivation crippled!"
"Get out of Qingyun Sect! Get out!"
"Senior Sister, people like you don't deserve to live…"
Her ears rang like blades were sawing through her skull.
Her thoughts were in disarray, boiling with shame and helplessness, while the insults drilled into her spirit like needles.
Every bone in her body seemed trampled and crushed, along with her pride and sense of self.
She began to doubt whether she even existed.
She stretched out a hand, hoping to grasp something—anything—to prove she was still real.
All she touched was cold, void.
The mocking faces closed in.
The voices were gone, but their mouths still moved, ready to devour her whole.
"No…"
"Someone… please save me…"
Clang—!
A clear sword chime sliced through the darkness.
Like spring water in the mire, it washed away all noise.
A ray of light pierced the black.
"Li Qingran!"
Someone was calling her name.
She forced her eyes open and saw all the mocking heads freeze.
Their eyes widened in shock — and then, a clean line split them in half.
Flames erupted from within, burning them to ash.
"Li Qingran!"
The voice grew closer.
Through the embers, she saw a vague silhouette.
The figure stood tall amid the smoke, wielding a sword. His face was hidden, but black robes billowed behind him, and cascading white hair shone bright.
A five-clawed black dragon, eyes golden and fierce, coiled around him in the air.
"Senior…"
Li Qingran gazed at him, dazed.
A sense of peace swept through her soul.
The darkness fled, as if terrified of the man's power.
…
Li Qingran opened her eyes.
She was still in the little room.
All those horrors had been nothing more than a heart demon's illusion.
She was soaked in sweat. Her waist and abdomen tingled strangely.
Looking down, she flushed scarlet to her ears—
Two golden hands made of spiritual energy were gently pressing on her lower abdomen, the left hand channeling energy, the right performing acupuncture. The pressure points tingled with a numbing itch, making her want to gasp aloud.
But she endured it, quickly holding her breath.
Senior was helping her! She mustn't disturb him.
So she quietly watched her belly flesh sink and bounce under those hands.
Biting her lip, blushing to her neck, fingers twisting the hem of her robe until her knuckles turned white. Her feet rubbed anxiously against the floor.
"Ugh, he saw my dudou… I'm so embarrassed I could die…"
"Why did I embroider frogs and lotus leaves?! He must think I'm a child…"
"You idiot, Li Qingran! You absolute fool!"
"Waaah, I'll never be able to face him again…"
Thanks to Chen Huaian's unexpected "treatment", the heart demon no longer seemed that scary.
Her mind was now full of worries about how to behave in front of him from now on.
Even after he finished, she remained lost in a whirlwind of imagined future embarrassments.
"Phew, all done. Her realm is stable."
Chen Huaian breathed a sigh of relief as he saw that Li Qingran was still at the peak of Qi Refining.
The Heart-Guarding Pill had worked—though normally, its effect alone wouldn't be enough to counteract the backlash from a heart demon.
But paired with his Pay-to-Win acupuncture and exclusive massage technique, it was no big deal.
"Next up: figure out how to remove the heart demon completely…"
Chen frowned.
According to the Heaven's Insight Divination, Li Qingran needed to return to Qingyun Sect and sever all karmic ties with Chixiao Peak.
To be honest, if he had a choice, he wouldn't want her to go back there and risk her life.
Unfortunately, this game was hardwired that way—no other options were given.
She'd be in serious danger if she went back…
And to make things worse, he was broke.
As Chen Huaian was racking his brain for solutions—
Knock knock knock—!
Someone knocked on the little house's door.
Then a cold voice followed:
"Li Qingran, open the door. I know you're inside."