Super Soldier in the City-Chapter 1885 - 1948: Suppressing the Cold Qi
Because it was so special, Su Lio’s body had been invaded by cold for years. Even though it was suppressed, it still affected her body’s functions, and her blood volume seemed inherently low, making her skin extremely pale, as if there was no blood under her skin. Especially now, with the cold outbreak, it seemed even more bloodless. Su Lio hugged her shoulders in front of her chest. Although her chest was small, she was still afraid to look.
When Li Yifei’s gaze swept over, she felt as if she had been seen through, and couldn’t help but lower her head.
Delicate and exquisite, Li Yifei felt he had finally seen a woman fitting those words today. Su Lio deserved those words; her skin was white, tender, and delicate like white jade, with a daring hint of pink.
Her skin was even better than a newborn baby’s skin, and although he hadn’t touched it, the feeling of touching it must be excellent.
Li Yifei only glanced briefly, yet Su Lio already felt very uncomfortable. If he were to look around recklessly at this moment, it would probably mean no treatment was needed.
Li Yifei walked over and whispered, "Don’t be nervous. I’ll complete the suppression as soon as possible. However, this is my first time doing this, so I might be a bit inexperienced, and it might take longer. Don’t worry."
"Hmm." Su Lio responded. As Li Yifei approached, she became even more bashful. At this moment, Li Yifei suddenly asked, "Do you need to go to the bathroom?"
"Huh?" Su Lio looked up at Li Yifei. With a serious face, he asked again, "I asked if you need to go to the bathroom, considering it might take one to two hours!"
"No need." Su Lio understood immediately and replied. Let alone going to the bathroom in front of him. She wouldn’t even go in front of Su Tianhai. Usually, she would endure it and go back to her room before feeling comfortable going to the bathroom. It’s not that she’s guarded against Su Tianhai; it’s just that... she has bladder shyness. With someone around, even through a door, she can’t urinate. That’s something she figured out when she was very young. It’s not really a disease, just a physiological reaction.
Li Yifei nodded and said, "Then sit tight. I’ll apply the needles first. Rest assured, I’m quite skilled, so I won’t hit the wrong spot or cause you any pain."
Su Lio closed her eyes. Her body trembled slightly out of fear and shyness. Li Yifei took a deep breath, adjusting his state, and took out a pre-sterilized silver needle from the needle box. Holding one, he gently placed it on one of Su Lio’s acupoints.
Even while placing the needle, it was impossible not to touch Su Lio, and adjustments in position, depth, etc., were necessary. Li Yifei also needed to use True Qi to seal the acupoints.
Since he already had a rough understanding of Su Lio’s meridians, knowing her meridians were different from ordinary people, many with what she had, the Sky Yin Absolute Vein, didn’t even survive to this age—most died shortly after birth or lived a few frail years.
Before needling, Li Yifei suddenly stopped. Su Lio, who was already biting her lip, ready for contact, waited for a while but didn’t feel the needle. She opened her eyes and saw Li Yifei no more than ten centimeters from her, her breath blowing onto his face. However, Li Yifei was looking down, not at her, making her feel somewhat relieved.
"I’d like to check your meridians first. It won’t take long, is that okay?" Li Yifei asked without looking up. Knowing Su Lio opened her eyes, it was nicer not to look up to alleviate awkwardness.
"How do you do that?"
"Just give me a hand," Li Yifei said. "I’ll explore with True Qi. The old master explained it several times, but I’ve never seen a Sky Yin Absolute Vein, so I don’t have a complete concept yet."
Holding hands? Su Lio furrowed her eyebrows. Li Yifei continued, "Just like an ordinary handshake!"
What’s the difference between an ordinary handshake and holding hands? Su Lio really wanted to ask but thought Li Yifei didn’t seem to have any offensive intentions. So she extended her right hand. Li Yifei nodded, "No need to lift it, just relax."
He reached out his right hand and held Su Lio’s hand. Li Yifei was stunned for a moment. When he had fallen on Su Lio the other day, he hadn’t touched her body—not directly, only through clothes. They hadn’t actually shaken hands. As he held Su Lio’s hand now, it felt like he was holding a piece of ice, chilled to zero degrees. A normal person’s body temperature is thirty-six and a half to thirty-seven degrees, but Su Lio... how could it be zero degrees? If that were the true body temperature, she’d be in a frozen state, nowhere near life. As soon as Li Yifei held her hand, he felt a heaviness in his heart.
Su Lio also didn’t feel at ease. Her hand was held by Li Yifei, causing a noticeable tension. She even wanted to withdraw her hand, but Li Yifei’s hand was so warm that it made her shiver all over with a heat she hadn’t felt before.
Calming his mind and eliminating distractions, Li Yifei sent a stream of True Qi into Su Lio’s body, beginning to explore her meridians. Only then did Li Yifei understand that Su Tianhai’s previous statement about Su Lio’s severely disordered meridians was not an exaggeration. This was more than just disordered. While a normal person’s meridians aren’t perfectly aligned, they wouldn’t be this chaotic. Li Yifei had to retract some of the True Qi, leaving just a small stream to explore slowly.
This exploration lasted several minutes, and Li Yifei’s face grew more solemn as he retracted his True Qi. Su Lio’s meridians were in worse condition than expected. This Sky Yin Absolute Vein caused an increasingly severe disorder in her meridians, revealing the pain Su Lio had endured over the years.
Glancing at Su Lio, she kept one hand over her chest, seemingly to prevent Li Yifei from seeing something he shouldn’t. Her eyes were tightly closed, lips pursed, and she appeared very tense.
"I’ve finished the examination. Fortunately, I’ll start suppressing the cold now," Li Yifei said gently.
Su Lio responded with a hum, her eyes still closed. Li Yifei then began the suppression process, dropping silver needles one by one, working with True Qi to seal the meridians, allowing Li Yifei’s True Qi to slowly enter Su Lio’s body.
There was no particularly effective method for suppression, especially since at this time, Su Lio’s cold Qi had already erupted. Li Yifei had to use silver needles in conjunction with his True Qi to drive Su Lio’s internal energy back to her Dantian. Although she hadn’t cultivated, her Dantian was still present, and the cold Qi emanated from this point. There was no alternative but to suppress it here, using a special method to seal the cold Qi.
The entire treatment process lasted an hour and a half. Li Yifei proceeded very slowly. Fortunately, he had plenty of True Qi and wasn’t worried about wasting it. If Su Tianhai did the suppression, it might have been faster than Li Yifei’s attempt.
The suppression process was also painful. Generally, Su Lio didn’t sweat much, but a fine layer of sweat had formed on her forehead now. Li Yifei took a tissue and lightly wiped it away, only to see Su Lio abruptly open her eyes, seemingly with anger in them. Li Yifei gestured that he was just wiping her sweat.
After the suppression, Su Lio felt much more comfortable. Unlike Su Tianhai’s treatment, Li Yifei’s True Qi contained more vitality. Since Su Tianhai was older, Su Lio surprisingly felt a long-lost warmth in her body, more comfortable than basking in the sun on a hot day.
When the treatment was completed, Su Lio almost didn’t want it to end, for the feeling of True Qi within her body was so comforting.
Opening her eyes, Su Lio looked at Li Yifei, her large, bright eyes regaining their sparkle, and said, "Thank you."
"No need to thank me; your body is still weak. You should rest. I left some True Qi in your body, which will keep you comfortable for a long time. You’ll likely sleep very well," Li Yifei said while packing away the silver needles.
No wonder she felt so warm, Su Lio thought, nodding. The torment of cold Qi had indeed left her body weary. Upon hearing the word "sleep," she couldn’t help but yawn. Afterward, she felt somewhat embarrassed, especially with Li Yifei still here. How could she lay down to sleep?
Fortunately, Li Yifei didn’t intend to stay. He put away the silver needles and said, "I’ll go out now, you should sleep. Call me if you need anything."
Su Lio lightly nodded, watching Li Yifei exit with the silver needles. Only after hearing the door click as it locked did she allow a smile to surface, biting her lip. She felt truly comfortable now, even in light clothing, warm all over. She reached out and felt her body; it seemed every part was warm.
Slowly lying down, Su Lio gazed at a string of wind chimes hanging above her bed. Her window was rarely opened, so the wind chimes, hung there since she was young, had almost never sounded. At this moment, Su Lio wanted to open the window to let the wind blow the chimes, to hear the sounds.
With this thought, she decided to act. Su Lio got up to open the window, and outside, she saw Grandpa and Li Yifei standing together, talking. Though she couldn’t hear them, she could see Grandpa smiling and nodding. Su Lio bit her lip, thinking that since Li Yifei could treat her and spare Grandpa the effort, she might forgive him for seeing and touching her inappropriately.
Opening the window, a warm breeze flowed inside. Previously, Su Lio might have found it uncomfortable, but now she didn’t feel that way at all. The wind blew into the room, making the wind chimes ring with a pleasant sound. Su Lio lifted her head, gazing at the chimes, spacing out for a while. Then she lay back on the bed, not changing her clothes, just pulled a thick quilt over herself, and slowly closed her eyes.
Waking from sleep, Su Lio opened her eyes, still feeling the warmth lingering in her body. She touched her forehead, noticing some sweat. It was just a normal physiological response; when it’s hot, one sweats naturally. Yet it had been a long time since Su Lio experienced this. Looking at the sweat on her palm, she almost wanted to cry but ultimately held back her tears, wiping the sweat with a tissue. Su Lio got up and ran a big tub of warm water in the bathroom, stripped off her clothes, and submerged herself. Since her body felt so good, why not enjoy another relaxing hot bath? Su Lio thought.
