"Don’t you find it strange? Or should I say, aren’t you curious?" Yang Ruxin raised an eyebrow as she looked at Dao Xuzi.
"I, an old man, have lived through a lot, what haven’t I seen?" Dao Xuzi widened his eyes, "What’s there to be curious about? Your grandmaster once said that every person has their own fate, and everyone has a side of them unknown to others. Medical skills require expertise and understanding, but that’s not necessary for being a person. Being a person requires the rare ability to be confused, do you understand?"
Yang Ruxin’s eyes sparkled slightly—worthy of the grandmaster, indeed a great wisdom.
"Girl, let your master warn you once more," Dao Xuzi pulled out the Golden Needle from Gu Qingheng’s Shenque Acupoint, wiped off the black blood with a cloth, and then heated it over the candle before storing it. However, he didn’t touch the other needles, "Your character is sometimes too straightforward, not tolerating any sand in your eyes and seeing things in black and white. While that is indeed good, being too rigid can make you easy to break."
Yang Ruxin furrowed her brow, but she didn’t retort.
"Girl, you’re very clever and clear-headed, but sometimes, when dealing with people around you, you can’t always impose your own ideas on them; after all, everyone is different..." Dao Xuzi smiled, then closed his mouth.
"I understand," Yang Ruxin said with a hint of dejection. She knew her master was looking out for her best interests. Her straightforward nature was indeed too direct, and although she didn’t find fault with it, the old man meant well, and she was grateful, "I will pay attention to it in the future."
Dao Xuzi nodded slightly, and then began guiding Yang Ruxin on how to remove the needles.
Inserting and removing needles was not to be done casually, as all acupoints and meridians complement and affect each other; a single mistake could lead to dire consequences—a slight mishap could result in complete paralysis, and at worst, immediate death.
By the time all the needles were removed, Dao Xuzi was covered in sweat on his forehead.
Yang Ruxin handed the cloth she had prepared in advance to Dao Xuzi and then began to wipe down Gu Qingheng’s body. The effects of this round of acupuncture were even more significant because the last time Gu Qingheng was conscious, but this time he had been asleep from the insertion to the removal of the needles, and he was said to need another half an hour to wake up.
"You girl, at least show some discretion," Dao Xuzi glanced at Yang Ruxin with a hint of disdain, "You are a woman after all, and he might be disabled, but he’s still a man..." That expression and look had reacquired its previous playful properties.
"You old man, I am a doctor now, and what is a doctor? To a doctor, anyone is just a pile of bones and flesh," Yang Ruxin rolled her eyes at Dao Xuzi, "How can your thoughts be so dirty at your age? Besides, this man is mine by choice, so why can’t I look? If he were a woman, I really wouldn’t want to look..."
"You have a point!" Dao Xuzi said helplessly, pursing his lips and then turned to walk away with his hands behind his back.
"Tsk tsk, although he’s been lame for so long, it hasn’t affected the feel at all," Yang Ruxin playfully pinched Gu Qingheng’s legs and arms—the muscles were still there. If it weren’t for the frightening color of his legs, anyone would drool over such a pair of long legs, not to mention his lower abdomen, the abdominal muscles were also very pronounced. Does this look like someone who’s been disabled for two years? It’s enough to make one envious. It’s just one doesn’t know..." Her gaze drifted toward the only white shorts on his body, and at the same time, her hands started to lift...