A couple of days after Ye Cangtian's last departure, Dongfang Mingyue brought Yao Bao'er over.
At first, seeing how young and chubby Yao Bao'er was, Elder Long frankly didn't believe this little girl possessed much medical skill.
However, out of respect for Ye Cangtian and Dongfang Mingyue, he allowed Yao Bao'er to examine him.
Like most physicians, Yao Bao'er's diagnosis was that for an ordinary person, such injuries would have led to death ten times over by now. It was, in fact, a miracle that he was still alive.
Upon hearing this, Elder Long paid it no mind. He had heard such remarks countless times and was convinced that Yao Bao'er was incapable of treating his injuries.
But a few days later, Yao Bao'er found him again.
After leaving, Yao Bao'er had been studying his injuries and the acupuncture techniques she practiced. Finally, she found a set of acupuncture methods in ancient texts. This set of acupuncture, when applied to the body, resembled a phoenix spreading its wings to soar. According to Yao Bao'er's research, this technique had the effect of rekindling vitality.
Holding onto a sliver of hope, Elder Long agreed to let Yao Bao'er perform acupuncture. To his surprise, after just the first session, many of the blocked and broken meridians in his body recovered, truly seeming to regain vitality.
Witnessing the miraculous effect, Yao Bao'er continued to administer acupuncture every few days. With each session, Elder Long's injuries slowly healed. Although his injuries were still severe, they were much improved compared to before. He believed that if this continued, his injuries would be fully healed before long.
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian looked puzzled and asked, "Elder Long, since the acupuncture is effective, why not treat daily? Why wait a few days between sessions?"
"What do you know?"
"While rekindling vitality is a good thing for any injured person, it also consumes one's own bodily strength. Continuous treatment would be too much for the body to handle. Furthermore, the treatment greatly depletes Bao'er. In the beginning, after one session, she would need to rest for a while. With my tutelage, she has finally managed to complete a full session without interruption..." Elder Long said, rolling his eyes at Ye Cangtian in a rather exasperated tone.
He also wished to recover his strength as soon as possible, but he knew that healing couldn't be rushed. Especially now, when he finally saw a glimmer of hope, he preferred to proceed with the treatment step by step rather than risk extinguishing this hope through impatience.
On the other side, listening to Elder Long personally guiding Yao Bao'er, Ye Cangtian's mouth twitched slightly. While he was happy for Yao Bao'er, he also knew her personality well. Yao Bao'er was quite lazy when it came to cultivation; her only passions were medicine, herbs, and alchemy. Therefore, he suspected these days of being tutored by Elder Long would not be very pleasant for her, and she would likely harbor a great deal of resentment. She might even wake up and demand to leave him.
He truly didn't know what he would do then! After all, Yao Bao'er had great talent in alchemy and medicine, which could be of immense help in the ruins and elevate the entire medical standard of the Hidden Group. Thus, Ye Cangtian was reluctant to let Yao Bao'er return. However, he also knew he couldn't force her; everything had to be voluntary for her, which was the troublesome part.
Sighing, Ye Cangtian then said, "Elder Long, Bao'er won't be able to treat you for the next couple of days. She was researching the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir and ended up blowing up her alchemy furnace, nearly losing her own life..."
"This... this little fool!"
"Is the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir that easy to refine? If it were that simple, it would be commonplace by now!"
"Does she think that by being familiar with herbs, she can concoct it just by figuring out its composition? What a joke!" Elder Long's eyes widened upon hearing this. Despite his words, he was very anxious. He immediately put down his fishing rod and stood up to leave. Naturally, he wanted to see Yao Bao'er's condition for himself.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian smiled helplessly and quickly said, "Old Sir, Bao'er has already taken a Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, and her condition has stabilized."
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, Elder Long turned back and glared fiercely at him, saying irritably, "Why didn't you say so earlier, you brat! You made me worry for nothing!" However, he didn't stop, continuing to walk towards the headquarters. An explosion in the alchemy furnace was no minor matter; it could result in severe injuries or even death. Who knew if a Nine-Turn Golden Elixir could truly heal Yao Bao'er? He needed to see it with his own eyes to be at ease.
Watching Elder Long's retreating figure, Ye Cangtian shook his head helplessly and followed him.
...
Back at the villa.
Elder Long personally examined Yao Bao'er's condition and then stepped aside after a long while.
"Brat, I'll be staying here with you for the next two days."
"This girl has done a lot for me. It is only right that I take care of her for a few days now."
Hearing Elder Long's words, Ye Cangtian was speechless but secretly pleased. Elder Long's stay was a good thing. During their free time, he could also seek Elder Long's guidance on cultivation matters. After all, he was once a Heavenly-grade expert, and sometimes a single piece of advice could save him much detours. With that in mind, Ye Cangtian immediately prepared a banquet to entertain him warmly.
...
Five days passed in the blink of an eye.
Lying on the bed, Yao Bao'er's fingers finally moved, and her eyelids trembled. Soon after, she opened her eyes, murmuring in a dazed voice, "I'm so hungry..."
Ye Cangtian and Elder Long, who were drinking nearby, immediately put down their wine glasses and rushed to Yao Bao'er's room.
"Boss!"
Seeing Ye Cangtian rush into the room, Yao Bao'er on the bed immediately perked up, opening her arms as if wanting a big hug. However, when she saw Elder Long following closely behind, she shivered, then sprang up, pointing furiously at Elder Long and exclaiming, "You old geezer, what are you doing here!"
"..."
Seeing Yao Bao'er's strong reaction, Ye Cangtian's gaze shifted to Elder Long, and he asked curiously, "Elder Long, your relationship doesn't seem very harmonious!"
"It's not 'not very harmonious,' it's extremely disharmonious!"
"Wuwuwu, Boss, you have to stand up for me!"
"I kindly went to heal him, and every time he forced me to cultivate. If I didn't listen, he would discipline me with that fishing rod. Look at me, I've gotten so thin during this time, all thanks to him..." As Ye Cangtian's words ended, Yao Bao'er's accusatory voice came, her pitiful appearance truly heart-wrenching.
Ye Cangtian couldn't help but laugh, saying teasingly, "If he treated you like that, why did you still heal him?"
Hearing this, Yao Bao'er said indignantly, "It's all because of Sister Mingyue! She kept saying he was doing it for my own good, and then she threatened me with snacks. If I didn't heal him, Sister Mingyue wouldn't give me snacks!" Of course, these were secondary. The main reason was that before Ye Cangtian left, he had asked her to go all out to treat Elder Long. However, now that she saw Ye Cangtian, she wanted to pour out all the grievances she had suffered over the past few days.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian burst into laughter and said, "Serves you right! I told you gluttony leads to suffering, why didn't you listen? But Sister Mingyue is right, Elder Long is indeed doing it for your own good! Not only has your cultivation improved significantly during this time, but Elder Long personally looked after you for five days when you were unconscious!"
Hearing this, Yao Bao'er glanced suspiciously at Elder Long by the door and asked, "Would he be so kind?"
"You little girl, truly mistaking kindness for malice, wasting all my worry for you!" Hearing their conversation, Elder Long saw Yao Bao'er cast a glance his way and glared fiercely at her, saying irritably. He really didn't expect that this was the image he had in the girl's mind.