"Shut up. If you say another word, I'll make sure you can never speak again for the rest of your life."
Feng Jin threatened fiercely. She hated it the most when people disturbed her concentration while she was administering acupuncture.
Her fingers pinched a silver needle, and her needling technique was extremely peculiar. She quickly placed thirteen silver needles on Chu Chenyi's chest.
Chu Chenyi watched, dumbfounded. He had seen no less than a hundred renowned physicians over the years, but this was the first time he had witnessed such a bizarre needling method. He finally understood why the Empress Dowager had sent Feng Jin to treat him.
There was a reason for Ling Mo Han's unconditional trust in Feng Jin as well.
As she inserted the last needle, Chu Chenyi felt a sharp pain in his chest.
A surge of power seemed to roil in his dantian, and he abruptly spat out a mouthful of black blood. Immediately afterward, an agonizing pain spread throughout his body, causing his toes to curl up from the sheer torment.
Sweat dripped from Chu Chenyi's forehead. He bit his lip tightly, his hands gripping the armrests of the chair with all his might.
"Don't move, it'll be over soon," Feng Jin said in a low voice. The toxic blood had been expelled, and the meridians in his limbs were all activated, the blood flow carrying the toxins out.
Lin Yuwei's heart clenched with worry. "Bear with it for a little longer, it will be over soon."
When the appointed time arrived, Feng Jin quickly removed the needles. Chu Chenyi's chest was indeed a dark, purplish black.
All the toxic blood in his body had gathered in his chest.
Feng Jin held a specially made scalpel and made a precise, swift cut on the darkened area. Black blood gushed out like a fountain.
"Take this medicine," Feng Jin said, popping a pill into Chu Chenyi's mouth to prevent him from fainting from blood loss.
After the toxic blood was drained, bright red blood began to flow. Feng Jin applied styptic medicine to the wound, bandaged it with gauze, and packed away her acupuncture kit.
"The remaining toxins in your body have all been expelled. However, you are severely deficient in qi and blood and will need some time to recover before we can proceed with bone reconstruction."
The main issue was that the residual toxins from Liang Xiangyi had been in Chu Chenyi's body for too long, and his body had adapted to them. Their sudden removal had led to severe qi and blood deficiency, requiring a period of rest and recuperation.
Chu Chenyi took a deep breath and said urgently, "I'm fine. Help me with the bone reconstruction. I need to stand up."
He had waited too long. He needed to stand up as soon as possible and end this life.
"I told you, your body is not suitable for it right now. Bone reconstruction is already extremely dangerous, and the pain involved is thousands of times worse than the needling today. I absolutely will not agree to perform bone reconstruction for you!"
Feng Jin's eyes were full of resolve. As a healer, she had to consider all aspects for her patient before taking any action.
She had to be extremely cautious and would not take even the slightest risk.
"I'll write you a prescription later to help you recuperate. We'll discuss other matters in a few days. Yuwei, I'll have to trouble you to supervise him during this time." Feng Jin entrusted the important task to Lin Yuwei, partly to ensure Chu Chenyi followed instructions and partly to allow them to develop a relationship.
There was some truth to the saying "feelings grow over time." These past few days, they seemed to have grown much closer, no longer exhibiting the strained awkwardness they had before, where they could barely stand to look at each other.
Lin Yuwei nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, I'll keep a close eye on him!" she declared with a confident air.
"We'll be leaving now." They hadn't been here long, and any further delay might arouse suspicion from others. Furthermore, Feng Jin had woken up very early that morning and was now exhausted, desperately needing to catch up on sleep.
The four of them exited the secret chamber together. The sudden brightness caused them all to instinctively turn their heads away.
However, Ling Mo Han, with his sharp eyes, spotted a calligraphy and painting hanging on the wall. He stepped forward and took it down. "This is actually an original work by Fu Ge Lao from the previous dynasty. To think you had such a thing here, it's truly unexpected."
Ling Mo Han praised it repeatedly, his movements swift as he carefully put away the painting. He held it firmly in one hand and, with his other hand, tightly clasped Feng Jin's as they walked out.
"Stop! What are you doing with my painting!" Chu Chenyi shouted, reaching out to snatch it back.
Not only was Ling Mo Han Chu Chenyi's martial arts mentor, but Chu Chenyi was also currently weak and had difficulty moving his legs. Relying solely on his clumsy wheelchair, he couldn't even touch the hem of Ling Mo Han's clothes before he began to cough violently.
Lin Yuwei, frightened, quickly stepped forward to hold him back. If he had an accident, her future would be very difficult.
"Enough. Even when you were in perfect health, you were no match for me. And now, in your current weakened state, what use can you be? I'm taking this painting with me."
Ling Mo Han pulled Feng Jin along and left without looking back.
Chu Chenyi was left behind, filled with indignation. This was his favorite painting, and Fu Ge Lao's calligraphy was now priceless. To have it openly stolen like this, how could he let it go?
"Stop being angry. Sister Feng Jin said that excessive anger is bad for your health. You should try to be more optimistic. It's not anyone else's fault, it's simply because you're too weak..."
Lin Yuwei's words were like a thousand daggers to the heart, yet each one was the truth.
"You... you get out!" Ling Mo Han said through gritted teeth. He felt that Lin Yuwei was in league with that heartless couple, deliberately trying to infuriate him.
Although Lin Yuwei appeared delicate on the surface, she was quite stubborn at heart. As a pampered legitimate daughter of a marquis, when had she ever been pointed at and spoken to like this?
Infuriated, she slapped away Chu Chenyi's finger that was pointing at her. Lin Yuwei threw all pretense of ladylike behavior aside, placed her hands on her hips, and pointed at Chu Chenyi's nose, shouting, "The fact that I, this young lady, am marrying you, a cripple, is already a blessing you've cultivated over three lifetimes! I serve you every day and you're still not satisfied, yet you dare to point at me and tell me to get out? Am I giving you too much face? You're the one who should get out."
After her tirade, Lin Yuwei still felt unappeased. She directly pushed Chu Chenyi out of the room, leaving him to fend for himself.
...
"Do you like this painting that much? To shamelessly snatch it from Prince Jing. You've been staring at it for two whole hours."
Feng Jin looked speechless. Thinking back to his roguish yet utterly exasperating behavior at Prince Jing's manor, she felt embarrassed.
To simply snatch a painting, it was truly a disgrace.
"Fu Ge Lao is a great scholar of our time, his disciples are renowned throughout the land, and his calligraphy is hard to come by even with a fortune. To obtain an original work by Fu Ge Lao today is truly a fortunate encounter."