Transmigrating Into a Fantasy World: Signing in During Pregnancy, Reaching the Summit with My Childhood Sweetheart

20: Chapter 20: Locking Yuan to Extend LifeInside the small Woodshed, the deathly silence was replaced by a strange tranquility. The air was thick with the heavy scent of blood, medicine, and an indescribable, faint aura, as if life were tenaciously sprouting amidst the ruins.

Elder Sun sat leaning against the cold corner of the wall, his withered fingers trembling as he slowly opened the old needle pouch he had kept close to him. Nine bone needles of varying lengths, neither metal nor jade, grayish-white in color and emitting a faint, cold glint, lay quietly inside. Each bone needle was inscribed with extremely fine, ancient runes that were difficult to discern with the naked eye, faintly revealing a bizarre power that could imprison life and slow the passage of time.

”Yuan-Locking Life-Prolonging Needles...” Elder Sun’s voice carried a near-devout raspiness, mixed with deep exhaustion and resolve. ”The last set passed down by the Ancestral Master... I thought I’d take them to my grave... I didn’t expect they’d be used here.”

His gaze swept over the three lives lying unconscious on the ground:

· Liu Qingxuan: Although the potent poison in her heart’s meridians had been forcibly stripped away by Lin Mo using the ”Withered Wood Guide” evil technique, the residual bone rotting grass poison continued to erode her limbs and bones. Her life force was like a candle in the wind, hanging on only by a motherly obsession.

· Lin Mo: The exhausted and dying chaos dao seed was being eroded by the filth of the bone rotting grass’s Origin poison, like a piece of glazed glass about to shatter and covered in dust. It had been forcibly ”ice-sealed” at the brink of collapse by Su Muxue’s pure Profound Yin Moon Essence. The three forces of ice, fire, and poison formed a terrifying yet fragile balance within his body.

· Su Muxue: The Profound Yin Seal had developed fine cracks due to the conflict between ice and fire and the escape of Moon Essence. Although the violent backlash had been temporarily calmed, the Seal itself was already extremely unstable, and the released pure Moon Essence power had also consumed her already weak Origin.

The state of any one of the three would be enough to leave an ordinary physician helpless. With all three combined, it was a certain death trap! Only these ”Yuan-Locking Life-Prolonging Needles” could forcibly lock in their last shred of life, slowing the rate of life’s dissipation to buy time for that illusory ”sliver of hope.”

”It’s a gamble!” A final spark of spirit erupted in Elder Sun’s cloudy eyes! He suddenly bit the tip of his tongue and spat out a mouthful of essence blood, spraying it evenly over the nine bone needles!

Buzz—! The nine bone needles instantly absorbed the essence blood, and their grayish-white bodies glowed with an eerie blood-red light! The runes inscribed upon them seemed to come alive, flowing within the blood-light and emitting an even stronger aura of imprisonment and life-prolonging! Elder Sun’s already pale face instantly turned ashen, his aura becoming extremely withered, as if he might run out of life at any moment. But his withered hand remained as steady as a rock!

”Lock the Yuan! Fix the Soul! Prolong the remaining life!”

Elder Sun recited ancient incantations, his hands moving like butterflies through flowers, so fast they were mere afterimages!

The first needle! The long needle, surrounded by blood-light, pierced into Liu Qingxuan’s Baihui Point at the top of her head with a shrill sound of breaking air! The needle entered one inch and three-tenths, and the blood-light runes instantly vanished into it! Liu Qingxuan’s violently heaving chest suddenly stalled, then began to rise and fall slowly at an extremely weak but exceptionally steady frequency, as if the slow-motion button of life had been pressed. The pained, distorted expression on her face froze, and the erosion rate of the residual toxins slowed down visibly to the naked eye!

The second needle! The third needle! Two slightly shorter bone needles, carrying a ghostly cold glint, pierced into Liu Qingxuan’s Yongquan Points on both feet like lightning! Blood-light instantly spread along her meridians like invisible chains, forcibly locking and imprisoning her life force, which was being eroded by toxins and slowly slipping away!

The fourth needle! Target—Lin Mo! The thinnest bone needle, yet with the most complex runes, carrying Elder Sun’s final resolve, pierced into Lin Mo’s Shanzhong acupoint—the location of the chaos dao seed! The moment the needle tip touched the filth-entwined, collapsing Dao Seed, the blood-light runes flashed manically! A powerful imprisoning force, like an invisible ice coffin, instantly ”froze” Lin Mo’s exhausted and filthy Dao Seed along with the violent ice, fire, and poison forces within it, as well as that trace of pure Profound Yin Moon Essence! The Dao Seed’s light, on the verge of extinguishing, was forcibly solidified at the final moment! All the chaotic energy conflicts, the pain of exhaustion, and the erosion of filth within his body were forcibly paused by this overbearing needle! Lin Mo’s violently twitching body instantly stiffened like a sleeping ice sculpture, with only an extremely faint heartbeat proving he wasn’t completely dead.

The fifth needle! The sixth needle! Two bone needles with strange curves pierced into Lin Mo’s Laogong Points on both hands! Further reinforcing the Seal on the chaotic energy within his body!

The seventh needle! Target—Su Muxue! A bone needle, entirely icy blue with runes like condensed ice crystals, pierced into the center of the faint ice-crack pattern on her forehead! Blood-light and icy blue intertwined! This needle was not for complete sealing, but carried a strange guiding and stabilizing power! It forcibly suppressed the restless, violent Profound Yin deep within the Seal’s cracks, while simultaneously guiding and imprisoning the escaping pure Moon Essence power within her body like a gentle stream, preventing further wasteful loss! Su Muxue’s ice-crack pattern instantly stopped expanding, the bluish-purple hue faded, and her small face took on a bizarre, crystal-like serenity.

The eighth needle! The ninth needle! The final two bone needles, carrying Elder Sun’s last bit of Origin essence blood, pierced into Su Muxue’s Jianjing Points on both shoulders like meteors chasing the moon! They completely stabilized the fragile balance between the intermittent ointment’s medicinal power on her shoulder and arm wounds and the Profound Yin Seal!

Once the nine needles were in place! Elder Sun collapsed to the ground as if all his bones had been removed, panting heavily. Every breath carried a heavy scent of blood, and his vision darkened in waves. His already severe injuries, combined with the intense consumption of essence blood and Origin, had truly brought him to the point of being a spent lamp.

Inside the Woodshed, time seemed to freeze. Liu Qingxuan, Lin Mo, and Su Muxue were like three sleeping statues, pinned to the boundary between life and death by the nine bone needles emitting ghostly blood-light. All their vital signs were forcibly suppressed to the lowest point, and all their injuries, toxins, backlashes, and exhaustion were forcibly ”frozen” in their current state. There was no worsening, but also... no improvement. Like creatures frozen in amber, they awaited an unknown rescue, or... eternal silence.

The price was enormous. Elder Sun struggled to lift his head, his cloudy gaze sweeping over the nine shocking bone needles on the three of them, a bitter yet relieved smile appearing on his face. The Yuan-Locking Life-Prolonging Needles lock life, but they consume the Life Essence of the one performing the technique! He clearly felt his Lifespan draining away like a flood through an open sluice gate. Three days? Five days? This was the final time he had bought for these three, exchanged for with his own life.

”Cough... cough cough...” Elder Sun coughed violently, spitting out black blood containing fragments of internal organs. He struggled to move his body, leaning against the cold wall, watching the bizarre and shocking scene before him.

”Ancestral Master... your Disciple is incompetent... I can only use this final resort...” he murmured in a low voice, his voice sounding like a worn-out bellows. ”The rest... depends on your own luck... and... whether the Heavens will show mercy...”

Exhaustion completely submerged him like a tide. He slowly closed his eyes, his breath so weak it was almost gone, maintaining only a final shred of consciousness, like a candle in the wind, guarding this Woodshed where time had been forcibly frozen by the Yuan-Locking Life-Prolonging Needles.

[Ding! Detected that the Host is being sealed by the super-tier life-imprisoning secret technique ”Yuan-Locking Life-Prolonging Needles”!] [chaos dao seed (Seed) near-death state forcibly frozen! Filth erosion process forcibly frozen! Ice, fire, and poison force conflict forcibly frozen!] [Host’s vital signs maintained at minimum activity! Consciousness dormant!] [Passive skill ”Withered Wood Guide” effect interrupted due to the Seal...] [Special State: Yuan-Locking Life-Prolonging in progress (Countdown: Unknown)...]

The cold System notification sounded deep within Lin Mo’s consciousness, which had fallen into absolute darkness and dormancy, and then it too fell silent.

Time seemed to lose its meaning inside the Woodshed. Only the blood-light runes on the nine bone needles flickered extremely faintly, like breathing, maintaining this fragile balance forcibly snatched from the hands of the Grim Reaper.

---

As the sun rose and the moon set, days in Black Stone Town continued to pass in fear.

The door to the Woodshed remained tightly closed. The people in town only knew that Elder Sun of Suns Pharmacy seemed to have fallen ill as well, and the shop had been closed for several days. There was no news of the distressed mother and son (daughter) who had sought refuge with him. Some speculated they might be dead and secretly buried by Old Man Sun. Others guessed that people from Black Wind Stockade had come, and Old Man Sun was hiding after paying to avert disaster.

The shadow of Black Wind Stockade grew heavier. Minions from Black Wind Stockade began to appear patrolling the town entrance, and passing merchants were extorted even more severely. The atmosphere was so oppressive it made it hard to breathe.

On the evening of the third day. In the outer room of the pharmacy, Elder Sun, who had recovered some ability to move but was still incredibly weak, was hunched over, barely managing to clean the dust off the counter. His hair was almost entirely white, the wrinkles on his face were as deep as if carved by a knife, and his aura was so decayed it seemed he might collapse at any moment.

Just then— Bang! Bang! Bang! A series of violent knocks on the door suddenly rang out, accompanied by Wang Er’s coarse and arrogant shouting: ”Old Man Sun! Open up! The three-day limit is up! Have the double peace offering and herb share ready for me! If you don’t open up, I’ll tear down this pathetic shop of yours!”

Elder Sun’s withered body suddenly stiffened, a flash of helplessness and deep exhaustion appearing in his cloudy eyes. What was meant to come... had finally arrived. He glanced at the tightly closed Woodshed door, took a deep breath, tried his best to straighten his hunched back, put on a humble smile, and walked tremulously toward the door.

The door opened. Wang Er stood at the entrance with two ferocious-looking Minions. Seeing Elder Sun’s near-death appearance, Wang Er was stunned for a moment, then sneered, ”Old thing, not dead yet? Where’s the money? Where are the herbs?”

Elder Sun bowed humbly, ”Second Boss Wang... cough cough... this old man has had a recurrence of an old illness these past few days and was truly unable to go out to find herbs... Could you... please grant me a few more days? This month’s peace offering... this old man will offer first...” He tremblingly pulled a money bag from his robe, which was noticeably fuller than the last one, and handed it over.

Wang Er snatched the money bag, weighed it, and a look of satisfaction appeared on his face, but it quickly turned cold again. ”The money is enough. But the herbs? Where are the Great Boss’s herbs? Do you think my words are farts?!”

”Second Boss, please calm your anger...” Elder Sun coughed even harder, as if he were going to cough up his lungs. ”That bloodline grass... is truly... cough cough... beyond this old man’s strength... Look... these withered bone vine pieces are all High Grade...” He pointed to the pile of withered bone vine that Liu Qingxuan had cleaned earlier in the corner.

”Bah! You think a pile of trash can fool me?!” a Minion behind Wang Er cursed and kicked over the pile of withered bone vine!

The other Minion was sharp-eyed; his gaze swept toward the curtain leading to the backyard, and his nose twitched as a lecherous smile appeared on his face. ”Second Boss, this old thing must be hiding something good! I smell it... the scent of a woman in the back! And... medicine! A very strong scent of medicine!”

Upon hearing this, a fierce light flashed in Wang Er’s eyes, and he shoved aside Elder Sun, who was blocking him. ”Get out of the way! Old thing! Let me see what treasures you’re hiding back there!”

Elder Sun was shoved and stumbled, hitting the medicine cabinet and nearly falling. His face changed drastically, and he hissed, ”Second Boss! You mustn’t! There are patients in the back! It’s a contagious, malignant disease!”

”Malignant disease? I’m immune to all poisons!” Wang Ergrinning maliciously, not listening at all. He led the two Minions, roughly pulled aside the curtain leading to the Woodshed, and strode inside!

Inside the dim Woodshed, the scene met the eyes of Wang Er and his two men.

A strong scent of medicine mixed with a faint smell of blood greeted them. Thick dry straw was spread in the corner, and three people lay upon it:

· A young woman (Liu Qingxuan) with an ashen face, unconscious, her hands swollen and black, with faint black veins visible on her exposed skin.

· A small infant (Lin Mo), also unconscious, his face alternating between blue and white, with a bone needle emitting an ominous blood-light stuck in his chest!

· And a little girl (Su Muxue) with an ice-crack pattern on her forehead, who still emitted a faint chill even in her sleep. Bizarre bone needles were also stuck in her forehead and shoulders!

The bone needles stuck in the three of them emitted a ghostly light, enveloping them in a deathly and eerie atmosphere. Especially the needle in Lin Mo’s chest, with its flowing blood-light, was particularly heart-stoppingly sinister!

”Hiss—!” Wang Er and the two Minions gasped simultaneously! The scene before them was completely beyond their understanding! What kind of patients were these? This was clearly some sort of evil technique! Sorcery!

”Old thing! What... what kind of wicked path are you following?!” Wang Er retreated a step in horror, instinctively gripping the hilt of the saber at his waist, his voice carrying an undetectable tremor. The two Minions were even more terrified, their faces turning pale as they looked at Elder Sun as if he were a man-eating demon!

Elder Sun struggled into the Woodshed and blocked the three of them, spreading his withered arms like a hen protecting her chicks. His voice was raspy but carried an inviolable resolve: ”Second Boss! They are just... just poor people afflicted by a malignant disease and hanging on by a thread! This old man is practicing medicine and can only use a secret method to keep them breathing! It is absolutely not sorcery! Please leave! If the patients are disturbed and their last shred of life is cut off, that will be three lives!”

His gaze was fixed on Wang Er, and his cloudy eyes now burned with a near-manic light. It was an obsession of a physician to protect his patients at all costs, mixed with a hint of non-human deathly aura from performing the Yuan-Locking Life-Prolonging Needles!

Wang Er felt his scalp tingle under Elder Sun’s gaze. Looking at the three ”corpses” pinned to the line between life and death and the bizarre bone needles, a chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head! Although he was fierce, he was also superstitious about ghosts and gods. The scene before him was simply too eerie!

”Unlucky! So damn unlucky!” Wang Er spat fiercely, suppressing the fear in his heart. He roared with false bravado, ”Old thing! You win this time! Three days! I’ll give you three more days! After three days, if you still can’t produce the medicine the Great Boss wants... Hmph! I’ll burn you and these ghostly things together! Let’s go!”

He didn’t dare stay any longer and, leading the two equally terrified Minions, they retreated from the Woodshed in a panic as if avoiding a plague. They scrambled out of the pharmacy, even forgetting to close the door.

Cold wind poured into the Woodshed, blowing Elder Sun’s graying hair and tattered clothes.

As if drained of all strength, he leaned against the doorframe and slowly slid to the floor, panting heavily. Every breath made a sound like a broken bellows. He looked at the kicked-over withered bone vine, the open pharmacy door, and the three ”patients” whose life force was locked by the bone needles. In his cloudy old eyes, a hot, murky tear finally slid down silently.

Three days of respite... three days bought with life and fear... What would happen after three days? This small pharmacy was like a lone boat in a stormy sea, liable to be completely swallowed at any moment.

And inside the Woodshed, the blood-light on those nine Yuan-Locking Life-Prolonging Needles seemed... to have dimmed just a little bit more. The hourglass of time was silently running out.

[Ding! External threat temporarily resolved...] [Yuan-Locking Life-Prolonging Needles Seal state stable...] [Passive skill ”Withered Wood Guide” effect interrupted due to the Seal...] [Special State: Yuan-Locking Life-Prolonging in progress (Countdown: approximately 72 Shichen)...] [Warning: If the Seal is not removed / Origin is not repaired / filth is not cleared before the countdown ends, the Host will completely collapse and die!] [Warning: External environment is extremely dangerous! Host’s survival rate is below 1%!]

The cold System notification echoed in the deepest part of Lin Mo’s dormant consciousness, and then it fell silent.