Chapter 20: The Eldest Senior Brother Remains Silent

Zhen Yi was the first to react, eyes wide with surprise. “Xiao Ci! Are you saying… you can heal Senior Brother?” Everyone in the inner sect knew that the eldest senior brother’s foundation had been shattered, and even the sect leader and elders were at a loss.

“It’s just some severed tendons and meridians. Reconnect them, and it’s done. It’s not like his spiritual roots are broken—what does foundation have to do with it?”

“Xiao Ci… you can reconnect them?”

“Basic operation, no mistake!”

Isn’t this something anyone with hands could do?

When she first found the scales, she had no intention of harming anyone. The reason she left so decisively was because she knew she hadn’t damaged his foundation, so she didn’t bother checking back. But she hadn’t expected that he would go see some Mongolian doctor who ended up reconnecting his tendons and meridians in such a chaotic manner.

Qiu Ci didn’t have time to explain further. She immediately formed hand seals and summoned the spiritual energy within her body. In the next moment, a surging torrent of spiritual energy poured into Jing Hong’s body like a mighty river.

Jing Hong felt a warm sensation envelop him as his spiritual energy suddenly slipped beyond his control. Something in his mind was being severed, while faint cracking sounds echoed in his ears.

He instinctively looked inward and realized it was his entire network of tendons and meridians. The ones painstakingly reconnected by his master and the elders had all snapped again and drifted to new positions—some slightly to the left, some to the right—but surprisingly fitting, as if they had always belonged there.

Then he watched as the tendons and meridians began to link together flawlessly under the nurturing warmth of the spiritual energy, without the slightest trace of imperfection. Most importantly, he felt no pain whatsoever; his senses had been blocked from the start.

“All done. Let’s call it a day!” Qiu Ci withdrew her consciousness and spiritual energy.

Although the process of disrupting and reconnecting the tendons seemed complicated, it actually took less than ten minutes.

Jing Hong felt reborn, sensing a flow of spiritual energy within him smoother than ever before. Not only was there no obstruction, but the flow was actually broader than before his injury. With a slight guiding motion, the surrounding spiritual energy rushed wildly into his body, filling his dantian. It was like a parched land suddenly kissed by sweet rain, loosening the bottleneck in his cultivation. He even felt that it wouldn’t be long before he successfully formed his core.

He stood up excitedly, channeling spiritual energy throughout his body. Looking around, he struck the hoe nearby, and instantly sword qi flared again. He repeated the previous technique, conjuring thousands of hoe phantoms.

Then...

He furiously filled hundreds of thunder pits!

Within moments, the entire medicinal field’s pits were filled. Not only did he feel no discomfort, but his whole body was brimming with strength.

He… was truly healed, and even stronger than before?!

He was no longer a cripple; he could continue his cultivation!

A flood of emotions overwhelmed him, almost drowning him. He turned and bowed deeply toward Qiu Ci.

“Thank you, Senior Sister! Your lifesaving grace will never be forgotten!”

He suddenly understood why the two had stayed here; having a senior like her around was the safest place imaginable.

“Uh… no need to thank me!” Qiu Ci scratched her head. It was because of her that this happened. “It was just a small favor. Consider it repayment for helping me with the farming.” She was no cruel boss.

Jing Hong still bowed earnestly three times. “Your grace is like being reborn! I will never forget it.”

“No need,” she said. In her understanding of cultivation knowledge, reconnecting meridians was the most basic, fundamental skill imaginable.

“Xiao Ci really is the most powerful!” Feng Ting came over, eyes sparkling. “Even the sect leader and master couldn’t heal that injury, but Xiao Ci fixed it in one go.”

“What? The sect leader treated him before?” So that Mongolian doctor was actually the sect leader?

“Yes!” Zhen Yi nodded. “My master also said that unless we find some rare celestial treasure, there’s only the slightest chance of the eldest senior brother surviving.”

“...” Wait, is the sect’s medical skill really that poor?

But thinking back, the cultivation manuals given at the time of entry were heavily criticized by the system, which suggests that their world’s understanding of cultivation knowledge might be far inferior to that of old Earth. She had been taught orthodox Earth cultivation knowledge; reconnecting meridians was basic there, but perhaps not here.

She felt a sudden relief that she hadn’t left too quickly; otherwise, she might have unintentionally ruined a young man’s cultivation path. Thankfully, she had now made amends.

———

After Qiu Ci revealed her skill, Feng Ting and Zhen Yi immediately felt at ease and settled in with her, and even Jing Hong stayed behind.

Needless to say, with three helpers, Qiu Ci’s farming efficiency skyrocketed. She no longer needed to lift a finger; she just sat by the door in a chair and gave instructions.

In short, the three could do the work beautifully, and sometimes Feng Ting and Zhen Yi even argued over who got which tasks.

Jing Hong didn’t quarrel with them. He barely spoke all day, quietly doing his work. Despite being the eldest senior brother of the sect, he appeared cold and aloof, always wearing a serious face that brooked no insolence. Yet he was never careless in his work and bore no airs of a privileged son.

Often, while the two argued, he would have already finished all the work alone.

Feng Ting & Zhen Yi: “...”

The eldest senior brother said nothing; he silently took all the tasks.

Yet neither dared to complain to him. They had tried to chat and build rapport—Zhen Yi was naturally sociable and could strike up a conversation with anyone, and Feng Ting, though shy, managed to say hello each day.

But no matter how warm they were, Jing Hong barely responded, often replying with a faint “Hmm.” Combined with his clear, unique aura and stern demeanor, Zhen Yi would inexplicably feel intimidated just by his serious face and distant presence, and quietly walk away to find other work.

“Senior Brother is so scary. Better to stick with Xiao Ci.”

Thus, every day in the medicinal field, this scene unfolded:

On one side, Feng Ting and Zhen Yi worked enthusiastically, shouting and arguing loudly; on the other, Jing Hong crouched alone dozens of yards away in a corner, silently hoeing weeds with swift, shadow-like movements. One side was noisy and boisterous, the other calm and quiet as snow.

After observing for several days, Qiu Ci found it increasingly awkward and sensed something amiss.

She got up and walked toward Jing Hong, finally unable to hold back and asked,

“Senior Brother Jing Hong, are you… socially anxious?”

Crack!

As soon as the words fell, Jing Hong’s grip on his hoe tightened until it snapped in two. His perpetually stern, cold, and frosty face flushed inch by inch, rapidly turning as red as a ripe tomato, as though he might explode any moment.

Qiu Ci: “...”

Alright, confirmed—this man isn’t just taciturn, he’s seriously socially anxious!

And heavily so!

ヽ(ー_ー)ノ