The most luxurious carriage of the Li Family had been waiting in front of the medicine shop since the crack of dawn. Wang Cheng, dressed in fine silk robes, stepped onto the carriage alone. The atmosphere within the Li Family Manor had transformed completely; respect and hope shone clearly in the eyes of everyone who looked at him.
Li Hong, the Patriarch of the clan, came out to welcome him personally at the entrance of his daughter's courtyard.
"Uncle Wang! Please, come in! Sumei is doing much better. She can walk and eat normally now."
Wang Cheng nodded humbly before walking into the grand and quiet residence alone.
Inside the bedroom, fragrant with the scent of fine incense, "Li Sumei" sat quietly on a chair by the window. She wore white silk robes embroidered with red peonies, which made her fair skin look like carved jade. Her complexion had regained its rosy hue, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
When she saw Wang Cheng enter, she immediately stood up and bowed humbly.
"Sumei... pays her respects to Uncle Wang."
"Mm... sit down," Wang Cheng said, walking over to sit on the chair opposite her. "How are you feeling today? Is there any discomfort, or any... strange sensations?" he asked, staring deep into her eyes.
Li Sumei blushed slightly. She lowered her head to avoid his gaze.
"Reporting to Uncle... my body feels strong and warm like never before... However... sometimes my heart beats fast for no reason, and... my body experiences flashes of heat occasionally... Is this... normal?"
"It is extremely normal," Wang Cheng replied with the serious expression of an expert physician. "That is the Yang energy I transferred adjusting to balance with your Frost Jade Physique. But we must guide and control it well. Otherwise, if it circulates incorrectly, it could cause problems... Today, I will use the 'Qi Guiding Massage Technique' to realign your meridians first."
"W... What must I do?" she asked nervously.
"Do not worry," he smiled kindly. "Simply loosen your outer robes and lie prone on the bed. The treatment will start from the back, where the main meridian channels converge."
His professional demeanor, which wasn't overly intrusive, made Li Sumei feel more at ease. She obeyed docilely, slowly undoing her waist sash and loosening the lapels of her outer robe before lying face down on the bed neatly.
Wang Cheng walked to the vanity table and picked up a small bottle of aromatic oil he had prepared. He warmed the oil in his palm until it reached the perfect temperature before sitting down beside the bed.
"I am beginning now."
He placed his palm, soaked in warm oil, gently onto her back!
Li Sumei flinched slightly! His touch, though seemingly that of an old man, was surprisingly steady and strangely warm. The faint herbal scent helped her relax.
He began massaging from her shoulders and neck slowly. His thumbs pressed down on the 'Wind Pool' acupoints on both sides with precision. A sharp pain flashed for a moment, only to be replaced by a sense of relief she had never felt before.
"This point is the gate where cold Qi often infiltrates the body. I must open it to expel the stagnant Qi first," he explained calmly.
His palms began to slide down along her spine, slow but firm. He used the heel of his hands and his fingertips to knead and stroke, chasing the tension out of her muscle fibers. As a high-born lady, she had received massages from skilled servants countless times, but no one... could compare to his touch!
The [Divine Sense] skill allowed him to perceive every taut tendon, every blocked meridian point, as if he could see right through her skin!
Li Sumei's thoughts slowly shifted... from nervousness and mistrust at first, to awe and surprise at his skill... and finally... to a comfort so deep she almost drifted into sleep. The hot flashes she had been experiencing slowly subsided under his palms.
Her previously tense body went completely limp. Her trust in "Uncle Wang" had fully formed.
After massaging all the way down to her toes, covering every part, Wang Cheng withdrew his hands.
"Alright... the external main meridians have been realigned."
Li Sumei, who was in a daze of comfort, snapped back to reality. She felt light as a feather, as if she could float. "Thank you, Uncle. I feel..."
"Not yet," he interrupted, his voice more serious than before. "That was merely superficial treatment... The real problem... the root of the Yin Fire... hides on the front... at the Sea of Qi and the Origin of Yin."
He stared at her prone form with the determined gaze of a doctor.
"Young Miss... turn over... It is time we deal with the root of the illness."