Su Wen stood up, and Du Yue's eyes followed him, filled with admiration. She knew how difficult it was to control spiritual qi so precisely, especially in such narrow and delicate meridians.
Grandma walked over, noticing the way Du Yue gazed at him. She chuckled knowingly. "So, Du Yue… what do you think of my grandson?"
Du Yue froze, her cheeks flushing a deep red. Words failed her. She could only manage a quiet, stammered, "M-mm… Grandma, he is… amazing." The last part barely escaped as a whisper.
Grandma's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Hmm? I asked about his treatment, not your heart!" she teased.
Du Yue felt slightly aggrieved. 'Grandma really loves to tease…' she thought softly.
"I… I've never seen anyone control spiritual qi this precisely. Maybe only some old grandmasters could do it."
Grandma puffed up proudly at the praise but feigned indignation. "Hey! Are you saying my grandson is some old, ugly, foggy man?"
Du Yue hurriedly corrected herself. "N-no! I mean… he's amazing… and young!"
Su Wen, sitting nearby, shook his head with a small sigh. "Grandma, don't trouble her too much… she must be tired from the treatment."
Du Yue looked at him gratefully, and Su Wen nodded, understanding the unspoken thanks.
After the treatment, it was clear their mutual understanding had deepened, reaching an unspoken new level.
Grandma narrowed her eyes playfully at the pair. "Hmph… now you've got a new beauty, and you'll forget the old one, huh?"
Su Wen could only chuckle softly, rise, and plant a quick kiss on her cheek before sitting back down, slowly recovering his expended Soul Sense and spiritual qi.
After an hour-long break, Su Wen glanced at Du Yue, and she met his gaze with a small nod. He understood and rose, handing her the next pill, which she swallowed without hesitation.
They returned to work. Su Wen marked thirty more acupuncture points and carefully blocked them with his spiritual pins. Following the same meticulous process, he began unblocking and restoring each meridian one by one.
This time, the treatment went much faster. The most severely injured and blocked meridians had already been treated, and his control over spiritual qi had grown significantly.
Time slipped by as Su Wen maintained complete focus. Even with his increased speed, he dared not make a single mistake. The thirty meridians were restored in just over three hours.
He glanced at her face; she gave him a quiet nod of consent. Without delay, he turned his attention to the final thirty-four meridians, marking and blocking their acupuncture points.
With Du Yue concentrating on channelling the medicinal qi, Su Wen once again worked with precision. Together, they completed the final set of meridians in another three hours.
By the end, both were quietly exhausted, yet a subtle bond had deepened between them, a shared understanding formed in the silent rhythm of healing.
Grandma hadn't moved from the room the entire time, patiently watching over them. When the six hours of treatment were finally over, she got up and helped Du Yue dress. The girl looked utterly exhausted, her body trembling slightly as if she might collapse.
Grandma's eyes shone with warmth and a hint of mischief as she turned to Su Wen, who himself was drained and longing for a few hours of rest.
"Su Wen," she said sweetly, though with a subtle edge, "look at her. She's completely worn out, and I won't be able to carry her to her room myself. Why don't you… pick her up and take her there?"
Su Wen instantly became alert and treated this as another of her shenanigans, but when he looked at Du Yue's delicate, exhausted face, he couldn't help but be moved.
"Then why don't you just let her sleep here?" Su Wen said cautiously.
To which, Grandma said angrily, "Y-You brat! Do you want her to sleep here in this room, which is now full of medicine? She spent the whole day here for treatment, and now you want her to sleep here? Do you want her to have nightmares?"
'What kind of logic is this?' he thought to himself, but didn't dare to say it out loud.
Not only was he tired, but he didn't want to bicker any longer. He simply stood up and picked her up in his arms.
Du Yue, who had her eyes closed feigning sleep, suddenly trembled. Her face turned completely red, and her heart beat broke all previous records. She hurriedly put her arms around his neck and hid her face in his chest, not daring to look up.
Grandma felt happy after seeing her reaction and thought that all the effort she put in today was definitely worth it.
Su Wen, holding Du Yue in his arms, thought to himself, 'She is surprisingly very light, and she feels cool.' His face turned red, his heart beating faster, and for some reason, he didn't want to let her go.
Du Yue thought, 'He is so warm and gentle… I don't want to leave his embrace.'
He walked slowly, at an ant's pace, and finally reached her room. Gently, he placed her on the bed, though she was still slightly dizzy.
She also didn't want to let go and felt a little sad at leaving the warm embrace. As he laid her down, she opened her right eye, and their eyes met… time seemed to freeze for both of them.
After a moment, he couldn't help but gently pat her head and said softly, "You did a good job today. It must be really tiring for you. Rest well, and for tomorrow there will be many other challenges waiting for you."
Du Yue felt the warmth of his hands and a surge of happiness fill her heart at his caring words. "Thank you, Young Physician of the Mountain," she whispered.
Su Wen smiled at her words and flicked her head playfully and said proudly, "Now you know who I am, hah."
He placed her on the bed, got up, and said gently, "Good night." Turning to leave, he thought the moment was over.
But Du Yue, flustered, suddenly held his hand and said softly, "Thank you for taking care of me."
Without waiting for his reaction, she pulled the blanket over her head and turned her body to the other side.
Su Wen froze, not expecting her to hold his hand. He wanted to say something but saw her immediately moving away like a scared cat. He couldn't help but chuckle and turned to leave. "You are such a shy and sweet girl. My grandparents worry a lot, so from now on… I will have to take care of you myself…"
Du Yue blushed inside the blanket, a warm surge of happiness blooming in her chest as a sweet smile curved her lips.
After Su Wen and Du Yue left, Grandma returned to her room and went to bed, but the sinister smile on her face was enough to make even Grandpa shiver in fear…