Chapter 134: His Noble Grace Was Like Jade
Chapter 134: His Noble Grace Was Like Jade
Li Zian swiped the card to enter the room and headed straight to the bathroom to fill the tub.
Mu Chuntao giggled. “Master, are you really in that much of a hurry?”
Li Zian turned back and said, “Hurry up and take your clothes off.”
Mu Chuntao lifted her chin defiantly. “I won’t take them off. Unless…”
She left the rest hanging.
He could figure out the implied meaning himself.
Li Zian offered a wry smile. “My dear, I’m not joking. Your situation might still be dangerous. I need you to soak in the Detox Ointment to draw out the poison from your body.”
Mu Chuntao blinked in surprise.
She had thought Li Zian brought her here because he was eager to… well, get his hands on her peach. She hadn’t expected he was actually thinking about… soaking the peach.
She felt really disappointed.
Li Zian continued, “I burned that incense earlier to listen in on Pan Renlong and that fake Pan Guoqing. I heard Pan Renlong mention the SA01 Virus. I don’t know what kind of virus it is, but one thing’s certain: it’s highly contagious.”
“Ah?” Mu Chuntao was stunned. What shocked her wasn’t just the virus, but the fact that Li Zian could hear Pan Renlong and the fake Pan Guoqing’s conversation just by lighting a stick of incense.
“Before we left, I gave that imposter Pan Guoqing another quick check. I found the virus inside him wasn’t completely gone. It reproduces incredibly fast. I’m worried there might be some residual virus left in your body. That’s why I rushed you here to… soak.”
“What if it’s not all gone? What then?” Mu Chuntao felt a tremor of fear.
Li Zian walked over and pulled her into his arms. His voice was soft. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Even if there is leftover virus inside you, I’ll kill it. With my blood, with my ointment, no matter what it takes, even my life. If one of us has to die, it’ll be me, not you. Because I won’t allow it.”
These weren’t empty words to stir emotion, nor sweet talk to soothe her. They were spoken straight from his heart, every syllable sincere.
Mu Chuntao felt soft. Her heart melted, her legs went weak, and the little tendrils of fear and unease vanished. All she felt now was safe, cherished happiness.
“Be good. Take your clothes off quickly. I’ll go add the Detox Ointment,” Li Zian said, releasing her.
But before he could step away, Mu Chuntao flung her arms around him instead.
“You?” Li Zian thought he’d convinced her, and wasn’t expecting this renewed embrace. He was utterly confused.
A sweet smile spread across Mu Chuntao’s face. “What you just said sounded really nice. Can you say it again?”
Li Zian felt a bead of sweat form on his brow. Here he was, frantic with worry for her safety, and all she wanted was to hear his promise again.
Were those words more important than her life?
He patted her hip lightly, pretending sternness. “This is serious! Stop messing around and get those clothes off and get in the tub!”
Mu Chuntao lifted her chin once more. “My hands hurt. I can’t take them off. What are you going to do about it?”
Exasperated but helpless, Li Zian had to do it himself. As he undid the buttons, he muttered, “Acting like Xiaomei… why are you being so naughty?”
Mu Chuntao pinched Li Zian’s waist, faking indignation. “Daring to take advantage! Think I won’t hit you?”
Li Zian sighed. “Alright, my dear Grandmother. After the detox, hit me however you like. I won’t even flinch. Deal?”
Mu Chuntao gave a soft ‘pfft’. “Like I’d be that stupid! Wishful thinking!”
Li Zian paused, genuinely curious. “I really wonder… don’t you feel afraid?”
Mu Chuntao giggled. “I just realized something. I drank your blood! You’re perfectly fine. Why would anything happen to me? If there was any virus left inside me, I’d feel sick already. But I feel absolutely great!”
Worried sick, it hadn’t occurred to Li Zian. His Furnace Body Blood acted like an instant antidote, or perhaps a vaccine. He was unaffected, so why would Mu Chuntao be in danger? His mind had been too clouded by concern.
Still, Li Zian wasn’t fully convinced. “I still insist you soak. Just in case.” Removing the last piece of clothing, he added, “Okay, I’ll go add the Detox Ointment. Come with me. I’ll put it in the water, and then you can get in.”
Mu Chuntao stood rooted to the spot. Her dark, liquid eyes stared straight at Li Zian, shining brightly.
“What now?” he asked.
“My feet hurt. I can’t walk.”
Completely defeated, Li Zian swept her up into his arms. “Still say you’re not like Xiaomei? You’re even more troublesome than her.”
Mu Chuntao just laughed, her heart full of pure happiness and joy.
If a man loves and cherishes a woman like she were his own daughter, she must be the happiest woman alive. Li Zian treated her with the tenderness and indulgence he reserved for Xiaomei. How could she not feel overjoyed?
Inside the bathroom, Li Zian gently lowered Mu Chuntao into the tub. He took a block of Detox Ointment from his toolbox and placed it into the bathwater. The ointment rapidly dissolved, turning the clear water milky and opaque.
Now that he couldn’t see clearly, Li Zian felt less flustered, much more relaxed.
Normally, the ointment should have been added before she got in. But Mu Chuntao was too much of a tease. What should have been a serious medical procedure was turning into child’s play.
Mu Chuntao looked at Li Zian with a playful smile. “Master, are you just going to stand there and watch?”
Li Zian adopted a serious expression. “I need to monitor the detox process. Then I have to perform another diagnosis.”
“How are you going to diagnose me?”
“Be patient. You’ll find out soon enough.”
Mu Chuntao pouted. “Don’t think I didn’t see how you diagnosed that fake Pan Guoqing.”
Li Zian could only stare at her in blank silence.
…
Tiny threads of black toxin began seeping out from her delicate skin, rising through the milky water like dark leeches.
“Is all of this… poison from my body?”
“Mhm.”
“Ewww,” she wrinkled her nose in distaste.
Li Zian explained, “Even without this incident, I planned on having you soak like this eventually. Using the Detox Ointment regularly cleanses toxins, makes your body healthier, and improves your skin.”
“Then you have to give me these soaks! I want to stay beautiful forever!” Mu Chuntao pushed herself up higher in the tub.
Li Zian quickly instructed her, “Take a deep breath right now, then dunk your head underwater and hold it. When you can’t hold it anymore, exhale forcefully.”
Mu Chuntao paused for a split second, then drew a deep breath and plunged her head underwater.
Li Zian lowered his head too. He took a look, then his expression twisted into another wry smile.
He was also holding his breath.
Whoosh! Mu Chuntao burst out of the water. Her Peach Blossom Face was flushed crimson.
Li Zian said, “Deep breath again. Head down.”
Mu Chuntao protested, “Again? It’s boring playing solo. Why don’t you join? See who can hold their breath the longest!”
Li Zian was speechless.
Dearest Grandmother, why can’t you take this seriously?
“Then diagnose me,” Mu Chuntao said, looking directly at him, hope flickering in her eyes. “See if there’s any poison left inside me.”
Delaying the inevitable was pointless. This was going to be tough, regardless. He had to proceed.
Li Zian took a deep, steadying breath and extended his hand for the diagnosis.
Mu Chuntao suddenly became very still and quiet. She watched him intently, her expression a mix of hopeful anticipation for the results… and perhaps something else.
His Zhenqi flowed from his palm, penetrating layers beneath the skin, navigating through the fat, into her lungs, deeper into tissues, mingling with her blood. It gathered information, then retreated along the same path, flowing back into his own body, finally returning to the Great Sluggish Cauldron within.
Blue smoke curled inside the Great Sluggish Cauldron. Ethereal symbols and intricate patterns pulsed with a soft green glow.
The Great Sloth Bone-Probing Technique wasn’t merely about touching bones. To the Master, it was like seeing through flesh and bone – a combination of X-ray vision and the most detailed MRI scan imaginable.
Mu Chuntao watched his diagnostic hand move, an incredibly complex tableau playing out on her face.
Several long minutes later, Li Zian finally let out a huge sigh of relief. “Good. No trace of toxin remains. Looks like feeding you my blood was exactly the right move, and at the perfect time.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Mu Chuntao said, her gaze unwavering in its intensity. “Why can your blood neutralize poison?” She’d wanted to ask this back on the 123rd floor, but the chance never came.
Li Zian hadn’t prepared an answer in advance. Its suddenness caught him off guard.
My brain houses a great cauldron. My blood is called Furnace Body Blood. Even the dirt on my skin has a name: Furnace Body Mud…
There was simply no way he could tell Mu Chuntao the truth.
“Mmm?” Mu Chuntao tilted her head, blinking her large, dark, liquid eyes at him.
Always the little tease.
Li Zian managed a laugh. “It’s quite simple. My mentor fed me various medicinal pills ever since I was young. He often bathed me in medicinal brews cooked in a great cauldron. My body became saturated with their essence. My blood contains numerous medicinal compounds, allowing it to naturally counteract toxins.”
It was a white lie, a kind deception. Telling the truth was impossible.
Mu Chuntao blinked those large dark eyes again. “So… you’re basically a walking, talking pill? Like, a human-shaped medicine?”
Li Zian nodded slowly. “You could say that.”
“You remind me of someone.”
“Who?”
“The Tang Monk,” Mu Chuntao said, amusement dancing on her lips.
Li Zian wanted to laugh, but couldn’t. He had actually often felt this way himself. The Great Sluggish Cauldron had transformed his body; it was as if he was living medicine.
“No wonder you have such an appetite. Able to handle ten peaches in one go like that…”
Li Zian felt his willpower wavering.
“If you’re the Tang Monk, would eating you make me immortal?” Mu Chuntao leveled her gaze at Li Zian, a hint of challenge flashing in her eyes.
Li Zian’s breathing hitched.
Two segments of pale white lotus root approached him.
Li Zian knew precisely the implication, yet he felt paralyzed, as if trapped by a spell.
A Holy Light shimmered, emanating upwards. A lotus blossom, tightly coiled into a perfect bud, hovered right before him… waiting, promising.
Li Zian inhaled sharply, a shuddering rush of breath escaping him as his eyes widened…
Whoa!