The Dandy's Duchess

Chapter 134: Mutual Rescue (4)

Since he had saved her life, she could not bear to owe him such a debt. Thus, she was determined to help him now. Besides, with her energy fully restored and the powerful fusion of their inner forces fresh within her, she might as well press forward while the momentum lasted.

"Do you realize what you're doing?" Rongjing's gaze held a deep clarity as he looked at Yun Qianyue.

"Of course," she replied, lips set in determination as she easily broke through Rongjing's weakened defenses.

"Are you aware that ten years ago, Master Lingyin attempted to repair my damaged meridians and purge my poison but ultimately failed? In desperation, he used nearly half of his life force to set a seal, blocking off the affected area. Even ten years later, he was still unable to clear it, and neither have I found a way to break it myself. What makes you think you can?" Rongjing's calm voice carried a hint of coolness.

"I don't know, but it's worth trying," Yun Qianyue answered resolutely.

"Do you understand the risks? You may have narrowly escaped death just now, but helping me could lead to your inner power draining completely, ending in your death. If there's the slightest error, you'll die despite having just saved yourself," he warned.

"Why are you being so long-winded? My life was saved by you. If I die, so be it. But don't worry, I'm not some kind of martyr. If things go south, I'll pull back immediately. I never do deals where I end up at a loss. And if you don't cooperate, you won't get another chance like this," she said with a raised brow, a touch of smugness in her tone. "Besides, if I do manage to save you, when I fall on hard times, you'll have to provide for me, won't you?"

Rongjing fell silent, gazing at her determined expression and unwavering eyes, a complex glimmer flickering deep within his own.

Yun Qianyue ignored his gaze, shedding her playful tone and focusing her energy entirely on probing the blocked area within Rongjing's heart meridian. As her internal force pressed forward, she encountered significant resistance at first, but by carefully channeling a trickle of her energy, she began to dissolve the cold, oppressive aura there. She looked at him in surprise. "Hey, did you feel that? My energy is actually able to melt the cold essence locked within your heart meridian."

"Yes, I can feel it," Rongjing answered, surprise evident in his calm tone. He thought through the cause quickly and said, "Your martial arts practice possesses both cold and warm energy. It's natural that it can counter the ice-cold energy within me. Master Lingyin's own method was a form of rigid cold energy, so it couldn't work."

"So that's it! Our martial arts techniques must be quite similar then, right?" Yun Qianyue speculated, wondering if his practice also involved the Phoenix Scripture.

"Yes, our inner forces share a similar origin, yet differ in nuances," Rongjing confirmed.

"Then maybe I truly can help you," Yun Qianyue's excitement grew. She had always possessed a strong urge to explore the unknown; it was this drive that once led her to work day and night with an eccentric on mechanical traps, and to dive deeply into weapon technology research. This curiosity had fueled her accomplishments and multiple academic distinctions at a young age.

"Perhaps," Rongjing agreed, his expression returning to calm. "But don't be too optimistic."

"All right, then cooperate with me!" She was now treating Rongjing's blocked meridian like a research project, something she was determined to crack open.

"Mm," he murmured, giving a resigned sigh as he ceased resisting.

With precision and care, Yun Qianyue pushed forward, each step painstaking but effective as she inched toward the sealed portion of his heart meridian. Though her progress was minute, it was enough to both surprise and reassure her.

Rongjing glanced at her, watching her with a serious, concentrated expression. Her usually lively face was now serious, her slightly parted lips set in a determined line, and her arched brows held a brilliant radiance of resolve. Despite the dust on her violet attire, her slightly messy hair, and the tilted jade hairpin, her elegance shone through, radiant and clear, as if she were an unpolished gem now glowing from within. His gaze shifted away, veiling his expression in a faint mist of contemplation.

Focused entirely on her task, Yun Qianyue guided her inner force deeper. With every advance, she gained a clearer perception of the desolation within his heart meridian. It was like a vast desert without a single oasis, a boundless swamp, or a scorched land after a great fire—a wasteland stripped of life and vitality.

The extent of his injuries was unimaginable, yet he had survived until now. It was nothing short of a miracle.

Moved by the scene before her inner vision, Yun Qianyue paused, her breath halted, unable to suppress a wave of complex emotions.

"Stop, it's enough," Rongjing's voice cut through her thoughts, and he reached out to pull her away.

"Don't move!" Yun Qianyue insisted, shaking her head. She closed her eyes again, focusing her energy back into her task. After a moment of concentration, she asked in surprise, "You were poisoned with the Lustful Incitement over a decade ago?"

"Mm," he replied, his voice devoid of any particular emotion.

A chill crept into her heart. Rongjing was only seventeen or eighteen now. If he had been poisoned with that aphrodisiac ten years ago, he would have been just a child, seven or eight at the time. Who could have been so cruel to him? She was barely able to withstand the poison now, even with her martial skills; how could a child have endured it? And it was clear that he had not been cured...

"Besides Lustful Incitement, you were also poisoned with an extreme cold toxin?" Yun Qianyue continued her probe.

"To suppress the heat toxin from the aphrodisiac, I took an arctic toxin pill," Rongjing replied.

"I see!" Yun Qianyue understood that it had been a risky case of using one poison to counteract another. Continuing her probe, she circled the area for a moment before pausing and saying, "And your heart meridian was struck, wasn't it? A lethal blow, but you survived because your heart is slightly misaligned. Otherwise, you'd be dead now."