173: Soaring Dragon Token

Time flowed slowly in the silence; every breath felt exceptionally long.

Xiao Chun knelt beside the stretcher, her fingertips twirling silver needles with movements that were gentle yet firm. Twenty-seven silver needles, as thin as a cow's hair, formed a mysterious pattern across General Li Ju's chest. The tails of the needles trembled slightly, shimmering with fine silver light under the afternoon sun of Luoxia Town.

Fine beads of sweat broke out on her forehead, sliding down her cheeks and gathering into drops at her chin before quietly falling onto the bluestone ground. She was completely oblivious, her entire mind immersed in the needle application.

This was her first time using the "Spiritual Pivot Life-Prolonging Needle" technique recorded in the "Myriad Medicine Manual" in actual combat, and on such a critical injury no less. More crucially, she had to carefully control the power of her Myriad Medicine Body—it couldn't be too strong, lest it be detected by the people of Medicine King Valley, but it couldn't be too weak either, or it wouldn't be able to suppress that poisonous "Heart-Erosion Evil Curse."

With every twist of a needle and every infusion of True Qi, she had to calculate repeatedly in her mind.

Dilute the Myriad Medicine Spiritual Breath by thirty percent... no, fifty percent... manifest it in the form of Wood-attribute True Qi... When the needle entered the Shenfeng Acupoint, she deliberately let the True Qi circulate an extra half-cycle through the Meridians, simulating the "slow and steady" effect of ordinary acupuncture treatment.

When the needle landed on the Lingxu Acupoint, she intentionally made the needle's tail tremble a bit more, making it look like a sign of insufficient cultivation.

All this disguising consumed more mental effort than if she had applied the needles with her full strength.

But the results were significant.

As each needle was placed, the deathly grey on General Li Ju's face receded at a visible rate. Though he remained pale, the layer of murky Qi shrouding his face dissipated. The wound on his chest stopped seeping black blood, turning into a normal dark red. Most obvious was his breathing—from weak and intermittent at the start, it became steady and long.

When the twenty-seventh needle was placed, Xiao Chun's fingers finally left the silver needles.

She let out a long breath, one so deep it felt as if she were exhaling all the exhaustion in her chest. Immediately after, her body swayed, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.

“Xiao Chun!” Xia Ya was quick to react, catching her in a firm grip.

Xiao Chun leaned against Xia Ya, her face as pale as paper, even her lips losing their color. She forced a small smile. “I'm... I'm fine, just a bit tired...”

It was more than just a bit tired.

Qin Feng saw it clearly. The mental effort Xiao Chun had expended during this half-hour of needle application far exceeded that of a life-and-death battle. She not only had to precisely control every needle but also had to maintain a disguise at every moment; this state of mental exhaustion was more taxing than a fight with real blades and spears.

“Junior Sister, rest first,” Qin Feng said in a heavy voice, taking a Mind-Nourishing Pill from his robes and handing it to Xiao Chun.

Just then, General Li Ju on the stretcher slowly opened his eyes.

This time, his gaze was no longer unfocused. Though still weak, there was light in his pupils. He could even turn his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the onlookers.

“Gen... General!” the lieutenant's voice trembled, almost unable to believe his eyes.

Li Ju took a soft breath—this was the first time he had breathed so smoothly since being brought to Luoxia Town. He looked at Xiao Chun and struggled to pull his lips into a smile. “Little girl... thank you...”

These four simple words hit all the Northern Border Army officers like a bolt from the blue.

He was really... cured?

No, not cured. The Town Head had already stepped forward quickly, placing his fingers on Li Ju's pulse. After closing his eyes to investigate for a moment, he opened them, his eyes filled with shock. “The Evil Qi has been suppressed... though not removed, it won't continue to erode his heart vessels for at least ten days! This... this needle technique...”

He suddenly turned his head to look at Xiao Chun. “Little girl, where did you learn this needle technique?”

Xiao Chun leaned weakly against Xia Ya and was about to answer when Qin Feng took a step forward, shielding her. “Town Head, my Junior Sister has overexerted her mind during the treatment and needs rest. As for the origin of the needle technique...” He paused. “It was passed down by our master.”

“And your master is?” the Town Head pressed.

Qin Feng gave a slight smile. “We can discuss that in detail later. For now, although the General's condition is temporarily stable, he still needs quiet recuperation. I wonder if the Town Head could arrange a quiet place?”

These words were spoken flawlessly, answering the question while leaving room for maneuver, and more importantly, redirecting everyone's attention back to General Li Ju's injuries.

The Town Head finally realized his lapse and nodded repeatedly. “Right, right, I lost my composure. Quick, carry the General to the Quiet Room in the back courtyard of the Hundred Herbs Hall!”

Several Medicine King Valley Disciples immediately stepped forward, carefully lifting the stretcher. Although General Li Ju still couldn't move on his own, he could already speak clearly. He raised a hand to signal a pause, his gaze landing on Qin Feng.

“Young brother, little girl... I, Li, will keep this life-saving debt in my heart.” As he spoke, he took out a palm-sized black iron token from his robes. The token was dark gold, carved with a dragon soaring through clouds and mist, with a bold character for 'Li' engraved on the back.

“This is the ‘soaring dragon token’,” Li Ju's voice, though weak, carried the majesty of a Northern Frontier commander. “The holder of this token can pass freely through all thirty-six border cities of the Northern Frontier. All units of the Northern Border Army will treat the holder as they would me. While it is not as precious as the Medicinal Pills of Medicine King Valley, it may be of some help to you in the Northern Frontier.”

Qin Feng's heart jolted. He took the token with both hands; it felt heavy in his grip, exuding the iron-blooded aura of the battlefield. “The General's gift is generous; this Junior accepts it with humility!”

Li Ju waved his hand and was carried into the back courtyard by the Disciples.

“Thud!”

The bearded captain who had been the most vocal opponent earlier suddenly dropped to one knee, cupping his fists toward Qin Feng and Xiao Chun. “I, Captain Zhang Biao, offended you just now! Please forgive me!”

“Thud!” “Thud!”

Immediately after, the lieutenant and several other officers also knelt in unison.

The lieutenant's eyes were filled with tears. “I, Wang Yong, measured the heart of a gentleman with the mind of a small man, nearly costing the General his life! I ask Lord Qin and the Little Divine Doctor to punish me!”

“Please punish us!” the officers shouted together.

This scene shocked the onlookers. These officers of the Northern Border Army were all fierce warriors who lived on the edge of a blade, yet now they were willingly kneeling before two young people.

Qin Feng hurried forward to help them up. “Generals, please rise! You were only acting out of concern; what crime is there? Please, get up!”

Only then did the officers stand, but the way they looked at Qin Feng and Xiao Chun had completely changed—from initial suspicion and wariness to heartfelt admiration and gratitude.

The Town Head watched this scene and sighed inwardly. He had practiced medicine for decades and seen much of life and death, but such a miraculous needle technique and such a young practitioner were a first for him. More importantly, that needle technique... he felt like he had seen a record of it somewhere before.

“Young friend,” the Town Head cupped his fists solemnly to Qin Feng, “today's matter is of no small consequence. I will personally report this to the Valley. Please rest at the inn for now; there will be a reply by tonight at the latest.”

Qin Feng bowed. “I trouble the Town Head.”

The Town Head left in a hurry, clearly intending to send an emergency message through special channels.