The Rejuvenation Nine Needles, this acupuncture method—Qin Liuxi had not never used it. Back when Qi Qian came to her for his grandmother, she had performed this method. Using it again now, however, she still had to set up a Spirit Array, actually because the damage to the two bodies was different.

The Old Princess Consort’s illness was entirely due to overwork, chronic pain, and catching cold, whereas the Qinglan Temple Master, though his body had always been very good, was now in far more serious condition than she had been, because he had suffered backlash after using Magic.

Backlash from Magic harms not only the body, but also the Divine Soul. To repair it quickly, aside from medicine, Taoist Magic also had to be used. So what Qin Liuxi had them prepare, besides Soul Calming Incense, was a Gathering Spirit Formation, which could gather Spiritual Energy together and aid recovery.

The Spirit Array was laid out by Taiqing under Qin Liuxi’s guidance. He himself knew how as well, but compared with the positions she pointed out, he instantly felt what kind of blow his disciple had suffered.

No wonder Master once said that even he was far inferior to this junior brother. Turns out it wasn’t exaggeration—the other truly had substance.

The Spirit Array was arranged encircling the bamboo bed, and the Five Elements Qi of Heaven and Earth gathered toward the bamboo bed.

Qin Liuxi then took out the Golden Needle, laying the needle bag out in a row. She cleansed her hands, and under Taiqing’s expectant gaze took out the Soul Calming Incense, placed it at the head of the bed, and lit it.

As soon as the incense was lit, Taiqing inside the room and He Ming, who had not slept all night, both felt their spirit jolt; fatigue seemed to vanish in an instant, and even their Divine Souls felt soothed.

Qin Liuxi drew in a shallow breath, held the Golden Needle, chose a point, and under the watching eyes of Taiqing and the others, inserted the needle into Shenting.

Taiqing’s fingers trembled slightly, and he held his Breathing, not to mention speaking—he didn’t even dare take a deep breath, because that was a life-and-death acupoint; a single misstep, and the person would be gone.

Qin Liuxi did not dare be distracted either. The Rejuvenation Nine Needles method pierces nine acupoints crucial to the human body; even the slightest deviation was unacceptable—absolute concentration was a must.

As for inserting the needles, it was to move the needles with Qi, to move the needles with Intent, extremely particular about the acupuncturist’s acupuncture skill and Daoist Cultivation. For better repair, the Qi Qin Liuxi infused was not only her True Qi, she also guided the surrounding Spiritual Energy.

But after only three needles, a fine layer of sweat seeped out on her forehead, and her face was a shade paler than before.

Taiqing looked at her complexion, his lips pressing into a line. Seeing her straighten up and tilt her head slightly toward He Ming, He Ming hurriedly wiped the sweat from her forehead for her.

Qin Liuxi took up another Golden Needle; her hand did not tremble in the slightest. She inserted the needle steadily and gently twirled it.

Taiqing’s nose grew a little sore.

Qin Liuxi’s devotion was probably to place all the guilt she’d felt over her own master’s passing onto her Grandmaster, right? She didn’t want to have regrets a second time.

Time passed bit by bit. When the Soul Calming Incense was about to burn out, all nine Golden Needles were inserted into the nine most important acupoints. Qin Liuxi formed a Spell with both hands and swept the gathered Spiritual Energy across the tails of the needles.

Hum.

The quiet Daoist Room seemed to ring with the sound of needles.

Qin Liuxi straightened up; her face was deathly pale, yet the Qinglan Temple Master lying on the bamboo bed no longer had that ashen-grey complexion. Although still somewhat pale, he no longer looked like he was about to pass on.

This change visible to the naked eye made Taiqing and his disciple both extremely happy, yet when they looked at Qin Liuxi, there was a trace of guilt in their eyes.

Qin Liuxi staggered, and Taiqing, quick of eye and hand, supported her, helped her to sit to the side, then searched his master’s Daoist Room for an elixir and handed it to her.

"This is a Nourishing Body Pill. Take one."

Qin Liuxi caught the medicinal fragrance coming off the elixir, accepted it and swallowed it, and said, "Leave the needles in for an hour. I’ll remove them in a bit."

She sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and adjusted her breathing.

Taiqing did not dare disturb her, only retreated to the side, looked at his master, then at the stick of Soul Calming Incense. Though the incense was burning at the head of the bed, its fragrance seemed to be deliberately guided, drilling straight toward the Qinglan Temple Master.

When the nine needles emerge, fate is reversed.

When the Soul Calming Incense burned out, the last wisp of smoke disappeared inside. He Ming saw the Grandmaster’s eyelids twitch and hurriedly tugged at his master’s sleeve.

Taiqing was overjoyed and walked quickly to the bedside.

The Qinglan Temple Master opened his eyes. Seeing his disciple’s face full of joy, his gaze shifted to Qin Liuxi, who was slightly turned away, adjusting her breath, and he slowly blinked once.

Qin Liuxi drew back her consciousness, turned her head toward the Qinglan Temple Master, stood up, and said, "You’re going to be fine."

The Qinglan Temple Master’s lips moved, dry and cracked, but not a sound came out. His fingers twitched slightly.

"Master, you still have needles in you, don’t move around. He Ming, bring some water," Taiqing said.

He Ming brought warm water, dipped some with a reed tube, and moistened his lips.

The Qinglan Temple Master still kept his eyes on Qin Liuxi’s complexion, his gaze carrying a hint of disapproval—why waste Spiritual Power and cultivation to save his withered old bones?

Seeing that the time for retaining the needles was up, Qin Liuxi finally began removing them, rubbing the needle points to seal the Spiritual Energy inside.

He Ming took the chance to offer warm water.

The Qinglan Temple Master felt a bit of strength return to his body. Hoarsely, he said, "You didn’t have to go to such lengths."

Qin Liuxi placed the Golden Needles into the Jade Box, then took from her Qiankun Bag some talisman water mixed with spring water from the more Spiritual Energy–rich back mountain of the temple, and poured it in to soak them. "I promised Senior Brother I wouldn’t let you follow in that old man’s footsteps. A person must not go back on their word."

The Qinglan Temple Master let out a sigh and wanted to say something, but Qin Liuxi raised her hand and said, "You don’t need to say more. The acupuncture has already begun; there’s no such thing as stopping halfway. I even specially made top-grade Soul Calming Incense for this—I can’t just waste it. An hour later, I still have to use the Taiyin Divine Needle to regulate your Qi Mechanism. If you don’t want my efforts to be in vain, then properly nourish your Divine Soul. Only then can your body, damaged by backlash, repair quickly. As for everything else, after the acupuncture course is completed and your spirit is better, we’ll talk again."

Hearing this, the Qinglan Temple Master could only nod. After sleeping for several days and just waking up, his spirit was still not sufficient; after just a couple of sentences, he already felt badly out of breath.

Qin Liuxi told him to close his eyes and adjust his breathing, then had He Ming decoct medicinal soup and prepare a medicine bath. She herself would rest in the Daoist Room next door for an hour before continuing the acupuncture.

He Ming agreed, escorted her to rest, and this side was left for Taiqing to keep watch.

An hour later, Qin Liuxi appeared in the Daoist Room again. Her face was still pale, but better than before. The Qinglan Temple Master had not woken, but she did not hesitate—she first gave him a round of massage, then took out the needle bag containing the silver needles.

The Taiyin Divine Needle could stabilize Heaven and Earth. If the points were used well, it was excellent for nourishing blood and Qi and restoring the Qi Mechanism. This time, the needling was not as slow as the Rejuvenation Nine Needles, but fast—extremely fast. That row of silver needles was almost turned into afterimages in her hands as they fell onto several points such as Shangxing, Shen Ting, and Tongtian.

He Ming and the others swallowed hard. With such technique, unless one practiced acupuncture day and night, how could one possibly train Flying Needle Shadowless?

Five or six years old and already skinning corpses to practice acupuncture—he believed it.

In just a moment, the back of the Qinglan Temple Master’s head, his neck, and the vital points at various places were all filled with silver needles, and Qin Liuxi gathered all the True Qi in her body and swept it along the tails of the needles, guiding Qi with the needles, dredging the meridians and collaterals, restoring the Qi Mechanism.

Only when all the True Qi in her body was completely exhausted did she finally slump to the ground with a deathly pale face, landing on her rear—there truly was not a single drop left.