Against the Gods

Chapter 19 – Opening the Profound

After hearing Xiao Che’s words, Xia Qingyue tried to concentrate her profound strength into her hands. Immediately, her heart once again skipped a beat. That was because compared to before, the profound strength flowing into her hands was unobstructed by a large margin. Its speed was also faster by twenty or thirty percent.

Seeing Xia Qingyue’s reaction, Xiao Che nodded in satisfaction: “Don’t you feel that it’s much less congested and faster than before? If we release the rest of the cold air in your body and clear your meridians, you’ll have the same body temperature as a normal person’s when not practicing the Frozen Cloud Arts. None of the negative side effects will manifest and the speed at which you can use your profound strength will increase by at least half. Not only that, from now on, the speed at which you cultivate the Frozen Cloud Arts will increase by at least thirty percent. Oh, I’m only just casually speaking. If you just listened casually too, then that would be fine, because you would never allow me to do these things.”

As Xiao Che spoke, he already started cleaning up the things that he had brought from the infirmary.

“Did you just say… that the speed at which I cultivate the Frozen Cloud Arts will increase by thirty percent?” Xia Qingyue suddenly turned her head. Xiao Che’s statement absolutely shocked her, so much so that she wanted to believe him, yet couldn’t bring herself to do so.

A pill that would allow a person to, for one or two years, advance ten or twenty percent faster would be, without contest, classified as a rare treasure; so much that it would cause a huge scramble that would give rise to a battlefield drenched in bloody rain. Yet the meaning of Xiao Che’s words… was actually a permanent increase of thirty percent!!

This sentence was far more than astonishing! If there was something, or some condition, that allowed a person’s cultivation speed to permanently increase as much as thirty percent, Xia Qingyue believed without a doubt that all of the world’s heroes would flock out to obtain it with all their power.

“Yes.” Xiao Che nodded. “It’s up to you whether you believe me or not.”

On the contrary, Xiao Che’s “believe it or not” attitude caused Xia Qingyue to believe in him some more. That, coupled with the effects of his treatment that she had personally experienced, meant that she was unable to question much when faced with the astonishing things that he humbly said afterwards. This feeling surprised even herself. The huge Frozen Cloud Asgard had been in existence on Blue Wind Empire for thousands of years, but had never heard of the existence of a method with this kind of shocking result. In this small Floating Cloud City, a youth of only sixteen years age with a deformed profound vein could unexpectedly could say this confidently… and also had her unable to stop herself from faintly believing in him.

“If it really has the effect that you claim… then why would you say that I wouldn’t agree to have you do it?” Xia Qingyue asked.

“Well…” Xiao Che lifted the corner of his mouth and deadpanned: “It’s really simple. If you think about it, you’ll understand. To extract the cold air from your entire body and clear the meridians, then you definitely need to have needles all over your body. Since you need to have needles on your body, then of course you’d have to undress. At the very least you would have to show me your entire back… You won’t even let me touch your hand, are you willing to undress in front of me?”

Xia Qingyue: “…”

“Alright, the silver needles have been used. I should take these back to the infirmary.” Xiao Che gave Xia Qingyue a faint smile: “No need to thank me. After all, you are my wife. Yesterday, in the dead of night, you ran out to bring me a blanket, so whatever I do for you is only to be expected.”

Watching Xiao Che’s back as he packed everything, Xia Qingyue’s expression continuously changed. Finally, she once again voluntarily spoke: “I’ve always known about the accumulation of cold air in my body. I also know that the early stages of the Frozen Cloud Arts will congest my meridians. If scattering the cold air and clearing the meridians really can relieve the body’s discomfort, and will also definitely improve the use of profound strength… what does it have to do with increasing the speed at which I cultivate profound strength?”

“This touches on very complex medical knowledge. En, very complex, so I don’t really want to talk about it. Also, I bet that even if I did explain, you wouldn’t be able to understand,” Xiao Che vaguely replied. His forehead almost breaking out into cold sweat… He originally believed that the earlier words coupled with the acupuncture treatment had already succeeded in convincing Xia Qingyue. He didn’t expect that she would suspiciously ask about it, and straight about the crux of the matter to boot… That was because there wasn’t the slightest bit of relationship between the the speed of cultivation, and the cold air and meridians.

Fortunately, Xia Qingyue didn’t continue her line of questioning. Right when Xiao Che finished wrapping everything up, she spoke again: “ These things, where did you learn them from? From your acupuncture technique just now, you definitely have the qualifications to join those huge medical schools! If you really have the ability to do what you just said, then not to mention this small Floating Cloud City, all of Blue Wind Empire would know your name. How could you remain unknown, and instead have this reputation as a cripple?”

Join those medical schools? Xiao Che curled his lips in disdain. He then turned around and serenely stated: “These things were all taught to me by my master.”

“Your… master?” Xiao Qingyue’s moon like brows twitched. She had never heard of Xiao Che having any kind of master.

“My master was a great medical saint. His entire life was spent using his knowledge to help people, and he saved countless dying and injured people. I met him when I was very young. He taught me the four ways of medical diagnosis, how to use the needle, and the principles of pharmacology and toxicology. He taught me that under heaven, there was a countless number of medicines and poisons, pests and herbs. I am his only successor. His kindness to me was as heavy as a mountain, impossible to repay in this lifetime… That is why I know some medical techniques. As for the rest, you shouldn’t ask too much. Also, don’t tell any outsiders that I practice medicine. Even my grandfather and little aunt are unaware. Aside from myself, you’re the only other person who knows.”

(TL: four ways of medical diagnosis = look, smell, ask, and cut)

As he thought about his dead master, Xiao Che could not stop his face from showing a sad and nostalgic expression. This was his most sincere emotion, without a shred of falsehood or artifice. This sincere emotion also affected Xia Qingyue, who, with complete conviction in Xiao Che’s words, gently said: “For you to be this young and yet have such shocking skill in acupuncture, it seems that your master definitely is a great doctor.”

“He was the world’s greatest doctor, without peer!” Xiao Che firmly said.

Xiao Che’s appearance caused Xia Qingyue’s inner doubt to unconsciously lessen by a bit. After hesitating for a bit, she finally made her up mind: “… Then, you are sure that what you said about letting me permanently cultivate thirty percent faster… is true?”

“Since I said it, then I wouldn’t disgrace my master’s name as a doctor. En? You wouldn’t be… thinking about trying it?” Xiao Che turned around and looked at her with a face full of astonishment.

Xia Qingyue let out a small sigh of relief, glancing over: “You’re sure you only need to see the back.”

Xiao Che’s eyes lit up and his face moved closer. He smilingly said: “If you really want to show everything, then that’s okay too…”

Xia Qingyue’s eyebrows drooped and her red sleeves unfurled. A sudden gust of cold wind assaulted Xiao Che’s entire body, causing him to shiver. She walked towards the bed, faintly saying: “Let’s start. Let me see if your medical techniques are as miraculous as you say… However, if you get any ideas, I definitely won’t forgive you.”

Xiao Che gave a wily smile: “You could kill me with a slap. Even if I had ideas I wouldn’t dare try.”

The box of silver needles and jar of crimson sunflower juice that had just been put away were once again brought out. Afterwards, he walked to the bedside and said with a solemn face to the Xia Qingyue already sitting on top the bed: “Undress!”

It was a pure word but when shouted by Xiao Che, it gave an impression of an evil tyrant forcing himself upon an innocent woman.

When thinking about this, the inner heart of even the incorruptible, and world defiant pure lotus that was Xia Qingyue, upon hearing this word, had some kind of reaction… However, the temptation of a permanent thirty percent increase to her cultivation speed was too much to bear. So much that it’s safe to say that no profound practitioners would be able to resist! This was because if it really succeeded, it’s the same as saying that with the same talent and comprehension, the same profound arts and profound skills, and the same environment and resources, the advancement from cultivating three years would be equivalent to the opposition’s cultivation of four years! After a century, you would exceed the opposition’s advancement by thirty years!

Xiao Che also was certain that even though Xia Qingyue had to undress, she still wouldn’t refuse. That was because Xia Qingyue clearly was girl seeking to climb to higher heights of profound strength, if not, she wouldn’t have joined Frozen Cloud Asgard without care about the consequences of abstaining from both emotion and passion.

If everything were to happen as he said, then this kind of price would be absolutely worth it… To say nothing of the fact that it was only the back. Xia Qingyue thought of it like this and turned her back to Xiao Che. She gently laid down on her stomach, her heart as still as a mirror. She closed her eyes and unbuttoned her dress. Her crimson dress slowly slid along the lines of her fragrant shoulders and jade like arms. The dazzling white back of a beautiful girl, without a stitch to cover it, appeared in front of Xiao Che’s eyes.

She pulled over the quilt, holding it at her bosom. The red dress continued to slide down, revealing an ample and alluring bottom, exposing the liquid curve of her jadelike back. Her back was slender, yet not scrawny, clear and lustrous without peer. The skin of her neck and shoulder were flawlessly soft and seemingly pink, as if it had been lubricated. Xiao Che’s rapt gaze widened, as if he was in a trance.

“Start immediately! You’re not allowed to have any other ideas!” Xia Qingyue closed her eyes, her voice cold.

“Isn’t a woman’s body supposed to be seen by her husband?” Xiao Che carefully muttered, then closed his mouth and picked up a silver needle. The moment the needle was in his hand, his expression became heavy with concentration.

As Xia Qingyue felt the steadying of Xiao Che’s breath behind her, she swallowed her retort and no longer spoke, lightly closing her eyes. Although even now, she still couldn’t quite believe that what Xiao Che said was the truth… but she couldn’t resist the temptation of a thirty percent increase to her cultivation speed, no matter how small of a chance it was.

The sound of wind could be heard accompanying the sway of Xiao Che’s wrists. A silver needle lightly and accurately pierced the Tian Zong acupuncture point on Xia Qingyue’s jade like back. His finger didn’t touch her skin at all.

Xiao Che began to move his fingers as if they were flying, the silver needles were picked up by him one by one, rapidly and accurately piercing Xia Qingyue’s back. It was almost to the point where all that could be seen was a swaying shadow.

Xia Qingyue closed her eyes, all of her attention on her back. She began to notice that every time a silver needle pierced into her back, there was always a trace of profound strength accompanying it. This discovery immediately caused Xia Qingyue’s heart to skip a beat.

She was perfectly clear about the condition of Xiao Che’s body. With his deformed profound veins, he could only stop at the first level of the Elementary Profound Realm. The only profound qi that he could use was the most basic and smallest kind. However, as each needle was inserted into her back, even though the accompanying profound qi was minute, it was still at the upper limit for the first level of the Elementary Profound Realm!

She did not know why Xiao Che needed to add profound strength to the needles. However, this clearly meant that with every needle, he was using all of his strength.

She didn’t notice for the first eight needles because they were placed so quickly and her concentration was all on Xiao Che’s technique. This awareness made it momentarily impossible to calm the waves in her heart.

At this point, her back had been had been pierced by twenty three needles. Xiao Che’s speed also noticeably decreased. If Xia Qingyue had looked back at this moment, she would have seen that his entire face was faintly red and his brow was beaded with sweat.