A crisp smack echoed through the air.

Duan Chunfeng was slapped so hard he froze on the spot, his hand covering his rapidly swelling face as he stared blankly at the woman in the white skirt, utterly bewildered. He quickly came to his senses, however, and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry, Boss. I was too loud and disturbed your rest."

In his mind, the commotion must have been too loud, disturbing the Boss and earning him the slap.

But the woman in the white skirt seemed not to hear him. Her delicate body trembled as she looked at Luo Xiu, still held by two Duan Family martial artists. "What… exactly did you just do?" she asked, her voice dangerously cold.

Duan Chunfeng faltered. "Boss," he began cautiously, "this kid is the one I told you about before—"

Before he could finish, the woman in the white skirt ran over and embraced Luo Xiu. This completely unexpected scene left everyone speechless.

"Get lost!" she snarled at the two Duan Family martial artists.

After they scrambled away, the crowd could only watch as the woman in the white skirt held Luo Xiu, her eyes red and shimmering with tears that dampened her long lashes.

"Little Mule, how are you?"

"You're scaring me!"

"Please wake up!"

...

The moment Duan Chunfeng heard the term "Senior Sister," something in his mind exploded. He stood there as if struck by lightning, a bone-chilling cold seeping into him as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Se… Senior Sister?"

"The Boss is… Luo Xiu's Senior Sister?"

He stiffly turned his neck to look at the woman in leather, his eyes pleading for an answer.

The woman in leather lowered her gaze toward the woman in the white skirt, equally surprised and astonished.

At that moment, silence reigned over the courtyard, broken only by the splashing of the fountain.

The white-skirted woman's slender, jade-like hands moved swiftly across Luo Xiu's body, pressing several points to halt the spread of poison in his meridians. Then, she lifted him into her arms and hurried toward her courtyard. The woman in leather followed closely behind.

After a few steps, however, she stopped and turned back, looking at Duan Chunfeng with a peculiar gaze. "If you have any last words or affairs to settle, you should do it now."

Hearing this, a violent shudder ran through Duan Chunfeng. He began to tremble uncontrollably. "Senior… c-could you please speak on my behalf? I truly didn't know he was the Boss's junior brother! If I had known, I wouldn't have dared to offend him in the slightest, not even if you gave me ten times the courage! Senior, I'm begging you!"

The woman in leather gave a faint, dismissive smile and turned to leave without another word.

...

...

In a warm, comfortable room within an exquisite, luxurious courtyard, the woman in the white skirt had placed Luo Xiu on the bed. She was now inserting Silver Needles into his body, trying to stop the poison from spreading through his meridians.

The woman in leather stood quietly to one side. Only after the other woman had finished did she speak. "Nianjiao, why didn't you tell me sooner that he was your junior brother?"

In private, when no outsiders were present, the woman in leather would call the woman in the white skirt by her name, Lu Nianjiao, and refer to herself with the royal "this one."

Lu Nianjiao was a Ghost Valley Disciple, the third disciple of the Ghost Valley Heavenly Master. Very few people knew of this identity. In the world of martial artists, she was known only as the "White Skirt Medical Immortal," a peerless beauty with unparalleled medical techniques. It was said there was no injury or illness she could not cure, and countless talented geniuses pursued her.

The woman in leather was Mu Xueyan, ranked tenth on Hua Country's Martial Way Heavenly Ranking and the Founding Palace Master of the Stunning Beauty Palace. Years ago, the two had met when Lu Nianjiao healed Mu Xueyan's injuries. Since then, Mu Xueyan had remained by her side. Publicly, she was Lu Nianjiao's personal bodyguard, but in truth, she followed Lu Nianjiao in the hope of being cured of her own affliction. Privately, the two addressed each other as sisters. Despite their vast age difference, they got along remarkably well. Besides, for those on the Martial Way, age was meaningless; strength and ability were all that mattered.

...

"Sister Xueyan, I'm truly sorry. I wasn't thinking things through," Lu Nianjiao said, her eyes welling with tears. "It's just that I haven't seen my junior brother in many years, so I wanted to use you to test his progress. I never expected… for his condition to flare up at this moment."

Mu Xueyan looked at her with sympathy and patted her shoulder. "Nianjiao, what's done is done. Don't blame yourself."

"How can I not? If it wasn't for my whim, Little Mule wouldn't have…"

Mu Xueyan sighed and changed the subject. "So, you came here specifically to see him?"

"Yes." Lu Nianjiao nodded gently.

Staring at the unconscious Luo Xiu on the bed, Mu Xueyan asked, "So the junior brother you mentioned before… the one whose medical techniques are even greater than yours… that's him?"

"Yes."

"Can he really cure me?"

"If he couldn't," Lu Nianjiao said, "I wouldn't have had you accompany me to Henghai."

Mu Xueyan's gaze on Luo Xiu grew complex. "I can feel that the Yang Energy in his body has reached a terrifying level. He's so sick himself…"

Lu Nianjiao sighed. "This isn't an illness. It's his fate."

COUGH, COUGH, COUGH...

Suddenly, Luo Xiu began to cough violently. Lu Nianjiao rushed to wipe away the black blood he coughed up, her other arm gently supporting his back to help him sit up.

Luo Xiu weakly opened his eyes. He looked down at the Silver Needles in his chest, then up at Lu Nianjiao, a look of shock on his face. "You're… Third Senior Sister?"

Lu Nianjiao's eyes grew moist as she nodded softly. "Little Mule, it's been a long time."

"A long time," Luo Xiu echoed. He suddenly winced, his brow furrowing in pain as he drew a sharp breath. His voice was weak and tormented. "This needling technique is useless. I've tried it myself. It only provides temporary suppression. When the poison surges back, it'll be even worse."

Lu Nianjiao looked at him, her heart aching with guilt. "This is all my fault."

Luo Xiu gently shook his head and slowly lay back down. "It's not your fault."

He had so much he wanted to say to his Third Senior Sister, but he simply didn't have the energy.

Watching Luo Xiu drift in and out of consciousness, Lu Nianjiao took a deep breath, her mind made up. She turned to Mu Xueyan, her expression serious. "Sister Xueyan, please leave us for a moment. Until I come out, don't let anyone disturb us. That includes you."

Hearing this, Mu Xueyan's eyes widened in realization. She grabbed Lu Nianjiao's pristine white wrist and pulled her out of the room.

A short while later, they stood outside the door.

Mu Xueyan gripped Lu Nianjiao's hand tightly, her voice grave. "Nianjiao, are you planning to give him your Yin Essence?"

Lu Nianjiao met her gaze. "This is the purpose of my existence."

Mu Xueyan's body trembled. "But your 'Heavenly Yin Physique' is incredibly rare! If you lose your virginity… you will never be able to cross that threshold." She pleaded, "Listen to me. Wait until you've completely learned my cultivation technique. It won't be too late then."

Lu Nianjiao's gaze remained firm. "I told you, this is the purpose of my existence. Master took me in all those years ago because my physique could help my junior brother. He is the sole successor of Ghost Valley, which makes him more important than anyone else!"

"Sister Xueyan, I truly never had any intention of becoming the heir to your Stunning Beauty Palace, so… I hope you won't stop me. Besides, if I don't do this now, Little Mule won't be able to treat your condition later."

"Sigh… Fine." Mu Xueyan released her hand and turned away. "Do as you wish."

...

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