According to Cloud Knights regulations, a Vanguard can select two personal guards to accompany them, much like how a General has Vanguard-level combatants protecting them from both the light and the shadows.
The application was approved that very night, and the sisters immediately packed their things and moved in, following the rules.
They were alone in the world and didn't have much to bring.
The next morning, as the sky grew slightly bright.
Jingliu arrived at the Martial Arts Field as usual and found two more figures there.
Her master's subordinates, her seniors, and fellow survivors of Azure City.
Upon learning that Sleeping Snow and Clear Cold had been reassigned as her master's personal guards, she didn't think much of it.
In truth, she had no room to think of anything else.
Simply completing Qi Zhimu's harsh training quotas required every last bit of strength in her body.
As for training until she fainted from exhaustion, she had long since grown accustomed to it.
Jingliu firmly believed that one day, her physique would be as powerful as her master's, and she would no longer collapse so easily from high-intensity training.
Because Clear Cold's leg injury had not yet healed, her training program did not include long-distance running.
Sleeping Snow, however, did need to run.
For the first time, Jingliu had a companion to run with.
However, when Sleeping Snow glided past her with ease, effortlessly lapping her, a hint of shock flickered in Jingliu's large eyes.
Sleeping Snow's hands and feet were also fitted with weights made of special Star-Iron Sand, and their volume was visibly several sizes larger than those on her own body.
Even with such heavy weight, her speed was still much faster... but soon, Jingliu caught a glimpse of surprise in the look Sleeping Snow gave her.
It was as if she were saying that Jingliu, who was still persevering in her run, was the one who was truly shocking.
Jingliu didn't plan to ask; she just kept running.
Night fell.
Sleeping Snow and Clear Cold, being from the regular army after all, had completed their Cloud Knights daily special training in the morning.
As for Jingliu... it was business as usual.
Qi Zhimu and Sleeping Snow settled her in as they always did.
The latter helped her undress and enter the medicinal bath, while the former used needles to stimulate her body's potential.
After finishing the matters regarding his disciple, he had to treat the lingering effects of Clear Cold's injuries.
The light in the room was bright.
"Tonight, we officially begin the first round of treatment. There are some things I must say upfront: the treatment method requires the needles to pass through many Acupoints across your entire body."
Qi Zhimu laid out a row of silver needles, his gaze toward Clear Cold very calm.
"This includes seven important Acupoints near the elixir organ, which is unique to us Xianzhou people. Can you accept this?"
Although it was for medical treatment, it did involve a woman's privacy.
The air in the room stagnated for a brief moment.
Clear Cold was startled, then immediately understood the euphemistic meaning in Qi Zhimu's words, and shook her head without hesitation.
"We Cloud Knights do not even shy away from dressing wounds and treating poison on the battlefield, let alone for the sake of removing a chronic illness. Lord Zhimu, please proceed as you see fit."
She was a warrior who had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, a survivor of the Azure City disaster.
If she could heal these legs and once again step onto the path of revenge against the Abominations, these things were not problems at all.
"Then let us begin."
Qi Zhimu nodded slightly and took a needle to disinfect it.
Clear Cold did not hesitate, raising her hand to untie the ribbons of her clothing.
Her clothes were removed piece by piece, and the cool air touched her skin.
As she sat naked on the couch, truly facing the gaze Qi Zhimu cast her way, a faint sense of shame still inevitably rose in her heart.
She claimed to be a warrior who had crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, but in the end, she was only in her early twenties this year.
No matter how resolute her will, she was still a woman.
Outside the window, the moonlight was like water, spilling through the window frame onto her smooth, porcelain-like back, making her skin appear as white as frost and snow.
Perhaps because the shame of being exposed had finally caught up to her, a flush gradually rose on Clear Cold's cheeks, and her earlobes grew warm.
Strange, she had felt it was nothing just a moment ago, and Lord Zhimu was only acting as a healer now.
She subconsciously wanted to wrap her arms around herself to hide, but thinking of the upcoming treatment, she could only force herself to endure the shame and straighten her back.
Qi Zhimu's figure approached Clear Cold; she closed her eyes tightly, her breathing slightly ragged.
However, the expected awkwardness did not occur.
Qi Zhimu's eyes were calm and untroubled, clear and without a trace of stray thoughts, containing only a healer's scrutiny of a patient.
"There may be soreness, numbness, or sharp pain in your legs during the process. Endure it."
The calm voice quickly extinguished the chaotic thoughts in Clear Cold's heart.
In the next instant, the silver needles entered her body.
As several silver needles were inserted into the Acupoints near her elixir organ, Clear Cold felt the Power of Abundance about to surge from within.
Qi Zhimu's voice reached her ears at the right time.
"I have stimulated the Power of Abundance within your elixir organ and guided it to the Meridians in your legs. You will feel a Power of Abundance that is different from the blessing of abundance received by the Xianzhou."
"Use your body's original power to devour and assimilate that part of the power that does not belong to you."
"That living star, Rahu, had not only devoured the Power of Abundance of Xianzhou people but also that of other Followers of Abundance; the mixed blessings of abundance were incredibly chaotic."
"This is like a Short-Lived Species undergoing an organ transplant."
"If it didn't match, let alone healing the body's ailments, once a rejection reaction occurred and wasn't handled in time, one would have to rely on fate to survive."
Clear Cold clearly felt the situation Qi Zhimu had described; she had no more stray thoughts and focused all her attention on guiding the power within her body.
During the treatment, Sleeping Snow stood by, keeping absolute silence, watching her younger sister with eyes full of concern.
Before long, Clear Cold furrowed her brows, her face showing pain.
Clearly, Qi Zhimu's warning had come true.
Witnessing this scene, Sleeping Snow suddenly realized a major problem!
The Power of Abundance... for the Cloud Knights, everyone knew that the elixir organ of a Xianzhou person was essentially a creation of Abundance and the source of long life.
But that was only knowledge.
Actively stimulating the Power of Abundance within the elixir organ—she had never heard of a healer from the Alchemy Commission using such a method.
The Cloud Knights' training programs also did not include this item; only a very small number of people could refine Qi through the elixir organ to enhance their strength.
The Xianzhou medical classics had thousands of years of development history, and the Alchemy Commission's research into longevity was profound; there was no reason they wouldn't understand such medical techniques.
The only explanation was: this method was explicitly forbidden.
Thinking of this possibility, a layer of cold sweat broke out on Sleeping Snow's forehead.
If someone with ulterior motives were to label this with a serious charge, it would be a capital offense... Out of the corner of his eye, Qi Zhimu noticed the drastic change in Sleeping Snow's expression, but his hand movements with the needles did not stop.
"Don't worry, I am not technically violating the regulations."
In fact, the laws of the Ten Lords Tribunal did not specify a crime for this particular action.
It was just that because it involved the use of Abundance's power, the healers of the Alchemy Commission didn't dare to test the limits and simply chose to implement a blanket ban.
"But the Alchemy Commission's blanket ban—what did it have to do with a Cloud Knight Vanguard?"
"The Xianzhou Alliance, the Xianzhou Alliance... since the star calendar year 6000-something, when the various Xianzhou ships began to set off on different routes, the concept of being one family had long since faded."
Regarding the word 'home,' the people of the Alliance each had their own sense of belonging.
To put it bluntly, seeing a fellow countryman always felt more intimate than seeing an outsider.
There weren't many Azure City survivors to begin with; Clear Cold was not only his subordinate but also a former student and, more importantly, a fellow countryman on the same side.
If it were someone from Yaoqing or another Xianzhou, Qi Zhimu would never use this method to treat them, lest he add unnecessary risk and bring trouble upon himself.
But for the sisters before him, he had that trust.
Sleeping Snow didn't say a word, her expression saying she would keep the secret to the death.
Qi Zhimu didn't mind, monitoring Clear Cold's state in real-time and occasionally twirling the ends of the needles.
About 25 minutes passed.
Clear Cold's legs began to tremble violently; seeing this, Qi Zhimu quickly withdrew the needles, ended the treatment session, and took out a white jade bottle.
"That's all for tonight."
"If any painful after-effects appear before sleep, take this medicine; if there are no obvious symptoms, ignore it. Within three days, the after-effects should not recur."
Taking the medicine bottle, Clear Cold indicated she understood: "Thank you for your trouble, Lord Zhimu."
Qi Zhimu turned and left the room, leaving the space to the sisters.
Clear Cold quickly put on her clothes. Looking in the direction where Qi Zhimu had disappeared, she suppressed the unusual emotions in her eyes and moved her legs.
"Sister, Spend a little time practicing with me.."
"Alright."