The next morning, Su Wen woke up early as usual. Although he didn't technically need to sleep, he still followed the rhythms of the sun and moon. He cultivates during sleep and before going to bed, he had taken the pill refined from Golden Lotus Petals and activated his Heaven's Will Mantra for soul cultivation. For his spirit cultivation, he activated his technique, the Dao of the Nine Heavens, and began absorbing Spiritual Qi from the Heaven and Earth.
The sun hadn't fully risen yet, and the cold morning breeze passed him, making him feel refreshed. He went to the Alchemy Room, taking out the Spiritroot and Spiritvine herbs to concoct two Meridian Mending Pills for Du Yue.
Today, he decided he wouldn't take any pill or herb for his own cultivation. Even though the pills he concocted had less than 1% impurities, impurities were still present. More importantly, the more you use such resources, the more your body get used to them, making them less effective over time. He would only share the Spirit Vine tea with Du Yue.
He then went to the farm and the herb garden, collected all the necessary ingredients, and completed all the menial tasks needed to maintain both.
Finally, after preparing breakfast for everyone, they all sat down and ate together. Once the meal was finished, Su Wen turned to Du Yue and said gently, "Go get ready. It's time for your treatment."
Du Yue sat in front of Su Wen, lifting her hand so he could check her wrist and send his Soul Sense into her body. A small, gentle smile played on her lips as she looked at him.
Su Wen glanced at her smiling face then without wasting a moment he held her wrist and extended his Soul Sense, probing into her body. He immediately noticed that the meridians treated yesterday with minor injuries were fully healed, expanded, and stronger than before. All minor injuries had vanished, and even her Yin Qi, which had been dangerously low, was steadily replenishing.
Out of her 356 major meridians, around 94 were still severely damaged or blocked, while the rest had only minor injuries, already beginning to heal thanks to the spiritual qi circulation and the medicinal pills Su Wen had given her.
He had already asked his grandmother to assist him today, knowing he would need to touch her body to carefully block and unblock the acupuncture points corresponding to her injured meridians.
He instructed Du Yue to lie down on the bed and asked his grandmother to help her, as she would need to remove her robes. Normally, his grandmother might tease them in this situation, but she understood that even a small mistake could cause serious harm. This was also why Little Sparrow stayed unusually quiet, not jumping around.
Du Yue hesitated for a moment, a flicker of doubt crossing her face… memories of past experiences with men made her wary. But when she looked into Su Wen's calm, focused eyes, free of any ill intent, she immediately nodded.
She slowly removed her robes, leaving only her undergarments, which his grandmother covered with a simple white cloth. Her skin, pure and pale like fresh snow, was marred with lightning-tribulation-like scars and injuries, causing Grandma to gasp in shock.
"She will be fine," Su Wen reassured his grandmother, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. To Du Yue, he spoke in a calm, steady tone, "I am a physician. My only focus right now is on your injuries and your treatment. You have nothing to worry about… my ethics as a Physician will not allow any ill intentions."
Hearing this, Du Yue felt a strange mix of comfort and subtle disappointment, though she didn't show it. She simply nodded.
Su Wen began his work. One by one, he marked thirty acupuncture points on her body corresponding to thirty of her injured meridians. He then prepared thirty thin, precise needles, each assigned to a specific point, ready to begin the delicate process of blocking and unblocking the channels. The remaining sixty-four meridians would be treated later.
Once all thirty acupuncture points were blocked, Su Wen focused intently on the first meridian. He lifted his finger, and a pure blue spiritual qi flowed out, sometimes transforming into the shape of a scalpel, a fine needle, or even a delicate thread, depending on the precision required.
He handed Du Yue the pill he had refined that morning, and she swallowed it without hesitation.
"Follow my lead and send the medicine into the meridian I am treating," he instructed.
Du Yue nodded obediently. Satisfied, Su Wen motioned for his grandmother to sit back, knowing there might be a little blood, and he didn't want her fainting from shock.
With meticulous control, he transformed the spiritual qi flowing from the tips of his index fingers into ultra-thin needles… more like fine pins… and guided them to hover just above her meridian. He pierced the first point carefully, and a drop of blood appeared, immediately stopping under his expert control.
Using both hands, he sent his spiritual qi into her body. As it entered, the qi can be adapted to the shape required for according to the treatment, but from outside, his hands remained fixed just above the entry point, steady and precise.
Su Wen transformed his spiritual qi into a delicate thread, weaving it along the meridian to untangle it from other pathways. With careful precision, he shifted the qi into the shape of a scalpel, cutting through blockages and removing any damaged or dead tissue. Meanwhile, Du Yue performed her part flawlessly, guiding the medicinal energy into the meridian as he directed.
The process was painstakingly slow… each meridian could take up to ten minutes to properly unblock and connect to its corresponding channel, while the medicine would handle the healing. Some meridians were close together, requiring delicate separation, while others demanded entirely new entry points. Every movement demanded absolute focus, as even the smallest misstep could disrupt the flow.
Thanks to his breakthrough into the Mid-stage Soul Awakening realm yesterday, Su Wen could sustain hours of work without fatigue. Immersed entirely in untangling and repairing her meridians, he lost track of time and surroundings. The treatment required such precise control of spiritual qi that the session itself became a cultivation exercise, sharpening his control and gradually increasing his speed.
By the end of four hours, Su Wen had completed all thirty meridians. What had begun with ten minutes per meridian had accelerated as his skill and control improved, leaving the entire network of meridians carefully restored, clean, and flowing in harmony.