At the foot of Congealed Fat Peak, inside a wooden cabin.
A surgery to treat the patient Limuqun’s severe “Yin-Yang Imbalance” was being performed by Chief Physician Luozhilan, unfolding with intense urgency and tension.
At first, the patient doubted the Chief Physician’s self-recommendation, suspecting ulterior motives, and was especially resistant—almost leading to a scene of medical conflict several times.
But faced with the patient’s worries and anxieties, Doctor Luo first forced him to obediently accept the treatment by physical means, and then, with her exquisite medical skills, swiftly shut his mouth, leaving him with nothing more to say in refusal.
For the following course of treatment, Doctor Luo prescribed a traditional Inquiry and Pulse Examination process.
First comes the “Looking”.
Looking, as the first step, signifies the doctor’s preliminary understanding of the patient’s condition.
For a patient as uniquely afflicted as Limuqun, Doctor Luo naturally gave especially attentive care.
She first removed the ill-fitting underclothes from the patient, then scrutinized every detail of his body with both her eyes and spiritual sense, as if trying to memorize all his features.
Especially when her “Looking” passed over that hardened lesion caused by the Yin-Yang Imbalance—hard as steel—even as a Golden Core Upper Cultivator, Doctor Luo couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
Was the lesion really this large during the inspection in the sea of consciousness?
No, it looks like the condition has worsened significantly. Heavy medicine is needed!
Staring at the still-growing lesion, Doctor Luo reached out to examine it carefully, recording every detail with precision.
Perhaps it was due to Doctor Luo’s diligence that the patient occasionally let out genuine “mmm, mmm, mmm” sounds, expressing his gratitude.
Soon, as the patient’s body trembled, the “Looking” step of the Inquiry and Pulse Examination came to a smooth close.
But Doctor Luo dared not relax in the least.
Or perhaps, she felt a bit excited.
Next came the “Smelling”—the most challenging step for her.
As for the reason…
So fragrant, so rich.
“My disciple’s scent… truly, it’s unbearable.”
“Mmm, mmm… Finally, finally, I can savor it again.”
Confronted with this fatal temptation, Doctor Luo almost failed to hold onto her boundaries as a physician.
She buried her entire head in the patient’s chest, feeling the surging heartbeat and the burning warmth rising up her nose.
She savored it for quite a while. Only when the patient seemed to groan in discomfort did Doctor Luo suddenly come to her senses.
With her steadfast Dao Heart and noble Medical Ethics, she forcibly suppressed her excitement and trembling.
As a doctor, she needed to focus on the operation at hand!
Her disciple’s scent—there would be plenty of chances to savor it later.
She comforted herself thus, her delicate nose circling the patient’s body again and again.
Especially around the lesion, Doctor Luo examined meticulously, carefully evaluating the patient’s condition and making further records.
After completing the “Smelling” step, Doctor Luo collapsed weakly beside the patient.
Though her limbs were limp from giving her all to the smelling diagnosis, the sense of having done her duty so thoroughly still filled Doctor Luo with happiness.
Next up: “Questioning”.
Questioning was simple—just asking the patient about his discomforts and taboos so the doctor could make an accurate judgment.
But as Doctor Luo had already asked the patient nearly everything about his illness before treatment began, she decided to conduct a rather unconventional inquiry.
“Mm, this expression is not bad.”
The patient prefers to lie on his side—recorded.
“Mm, this method is good.”
The patient prefers oral medicine—recorded.
“Mm, this title is suitable.”
The patient likes to be called XX—recorded.
Finally, after an exhaustive inquiry bordering on an interrogation, the patient Limuqun collapsed unconscious from sheer exhaustion due to the high-intensity diagnostic process.
As for our Chief Physician Luozhilan—though she was sweating profusely and her legs were so weak she almost couldn’t stand—she still endured the inquiry through sheer stamina and an indomitable Dao Heart.
But what puzzled Doctor Luo was that, although the patient seemed cooperative on the surface, deep down he was resisting her treatment in a subtle, persistent way.
Otherwise, after all her efforts, why did the lesion’s symptoms still persist, with not a hint of improvement?
“Limuqun, what are you holding back for? Cooperate with me and confess—leniency for those who admit!” Doctor Luo saw that the patient seemed to have something on his mind and scolded him.
A consultation should be just that—how can you be so distracted?
But when faced with her questions, the patient remained obstinate, insisting, “Hiss, M-Master, really, I really haven’t!”
But this lie, to Doctor Luo’s ears, was naked provocation.
Was he mocking her medical skills as being not up to par?
Doctor Luo felt her benevolent heart as a healer was being challenged.
So, she decided to change the last step of the Inquiry and Pulse Examination—“Pulse-taking”—into a special expert Diagnosis by Sitting Consultation.
For such uncooperative patients, it was time to come down hard!
And so, targeting the patient’s obstinate flaws, Doctor Luo’s special diagnosis fell like rain, relentless and ceaseless.
At last, under her repeated Diagnosis by Sitting Consultation, the patient’s lesion began to loosen.
At this moment, the patient Li’s trembling, fearful, burning, and struggling voice sounded intermittently by Doctor Luo’s ear.
“M-Master, I can’t go on, really can’t go on… Let’s stop this double cultivation for today!”
“Why? Your Yin-Yang Imbalance isn’t cured yet!”
“Do you really want to explode and die?”
Though Doctor Luo was a Golden Core cultivator, even she felt her stamina flagging after so many Diagnosis by Sitting Consultation.
Fine beads of sweat formed on her smooth, fair forehead.
Healing has never been an easy task.
But the patient’s face turned from red to blue, as if reaching the absolute limit.
He said in a trembling voice:
“M-Master, I’ve reached my limit. If we continue, my Innate Yang Essence will leak out!”
But Doctor Luo just shook her head, her tone resolute, as if she would not give up until she cured the patient today.
“Leaking is exactly what’s needed! If you don’t let it out, how will you treat your Yin-Yang Imbalance? Come, let Master help you.”
“No, no, no!”
At this critical moment, Limuqun leapt off the operating table, breaking off the treatment with superhuman willpower.
Seeing the Chief Physician’s glare—full of anger, threat, and interrogation—he panted and explained:
“I—I cultivate the Lesser Yang Dao. My cultivation is not even at Golden Core; I absolutely cannot lose my Innate Yang Essence!”
With a “snap,” Doctor Luo forcefully dragged the patient back onto the operating table and resumed the operation with overwhelming vigor.
A healer’s benevolence—how could she allow the patient to flee at such a critical stage?
“I, mm, mm—”
The patient seemed to want to say more, but Doctor Luo silenced him with a Red Lips Thermometer.
As Doctor Luo poured her full effort into the treatment, the patient’s body trembled violently, and the lesion visibly shrank before their eyes.
Seeing results, Doctor Luo nodded, withdrew the Red Lips Thermometer, and the patient’s wails immediately echoed through the operating room, interspersed with panting.
“My Dao Path, my Dao Path!”
Seeing that her treatment had finally produced tangible effects, Doctor Luo finally breathed a sigh of relief, standing in place enjoying both the joy of healing a patient and comforting him:
“It’s just one mouthful of Innate Yang Essence. Master can refine pills for you to make up for it—why the fuss? Crying like a woman!”
Eh???
The patient suddenly stopped wailing and looked up in disbelief.
“It can be made up for?”
“Nonsense! Innate Yang Essence is not some irreplaceable thing!”
Doctor Luo gently patted the patient’s cheek, giving him serious instructions:
“Stop limiting yourself with those lower-cultivator ideas. Keep cultivating, and focus!”
“Yes!”
Finally, with his worries resolved, the patient began to actively cooperate with Doctor Luo’s treatment.
One day later, when facing Luozhilan—who could only curl up in his arms to rest—Limuqun would always recall that afternoon not long ago, the first time she taught him dual cultivation.
Back then, Limuqun was still a “naive” youth, nowhere near as… cough, nowhere near as deeply and accurately versed in the Yin-Yang Dao as now.
At that time, in his eyes, dual cultivation was merely something that would disturb the Dao Heart and hinder cultivation.
But now, feeling the surging Spiritual Power within him, along with that flickering spark of Dragon Breath and Phoenix Fire that had somehow arisen—
Limuqun could no longer suppress his inner longing for the Dao.
He gently nudged the sleeping Luozhilan in his arms.
“Master, wake up. Let’s hurry and start the next round of cultivation.”
“Eh? Huh?!”
“Master… could it be that you’re already out of energy…?”
“Who are you looking down on? That was just a warm-up!”
“Come, disciple, let your Master teach you the real secret of the Long Feng He Ming Jue.”
No words were needed for cultivation; only the swirling gusts of wind, which made the candles in the house flicker and nearly go out several times.
Coming was but an empty phrase, going left no trace; moon slanting, five bells on the tower at dawn.
Just as the two were focused on comprehending the essence of their cultivation method, a slender shadow tiptoed sneakily across the border of Congealed Fat Peak.
This figure clutched a Storage Bag, sneaking about, glancing left and right as if avoiding something, moving with extreme caution.
Only when the familiar wooden cabin came into view, with the faint candlelight shining through its window, did her eyes brighten and she let out a sigh of relief, moving closer.
At the same time, as Luozhilan was correcting Limuqun’s cultivation posture, she suddenly seemed to sense something and sharply lifted her head.
“What’s wrong, Master?”
Sensing her sudden pause, the Dao-seeking Limuqun couldn’t help but ask.
“It’s nothing.” Luozhilan smiled charmingly. “I just thought of something… very interesting.”