Chapter 97: The Alluring Cure
In Sunset Forest, by the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, Ye Lingling watched Dai Yao with suspicion and asked, "So, how exactly are you planning to treat me?"
Dai Yao answered coolly, "I'll channel my spirit power into your body, so you'll need to remove your clothing so I can access your back directly."
Her eyebrows shot up, and she scowled. "Are you looking to die?"
As a young maiden, she found such a request deeply offensive. Sensing her hesitation, Dai Yao continued, his gaze as cold as ever, "If you keep your clothing on, I could still channel the spirit power. But with fabric in the way, my control will be impaired. And if that happens, there's a chance my spirit power could accidentally explode inside your body."
The words sent a chill through her. A sudden explosion of foreign spirit power would be life-threatening. For someone like Ye Lingling, a mid-level spirit master, such a misstep would be fatal. Even her bold spirit faltered at the thought.
At that moment, Dugu Bo gave a subtle cough, nodding at his granddaughter, signaling her to comply. This small, covert gesture was shielded from Dai Yao's sight.
Ye Lingling sneered and gave Dai Yao a cold, piercing glare as if looking at a dead man. "Fine. But keep your eyes where they belong, or I'll gouge them out."
The look in her eyes confirmed Dai Yao's fears. His intuition told him that they likely had no intention of letting him live beyond this treatment. He had suggested the intimate proximity as a test, hoping that if they had any qualms about his survival, they'd object. But they'd agreed without hesitation.
This meant they had no problem with a "dead man" seeing her bare back. The realization made his heart sink. His only hope now was to stall as much as possible, waiting for someone from the Spirit Hall to find him. As his eyes drifted over to the two-colored pool, he could feel his chances slipping.
Suddenly, Dugu Bo's gaze swept over his medicinal garden. Upon noticing the absence of two particular herbs near the well's edge, his expression darkened as he turned to Dai Yao. "You touched my medicine garden?"
Cold sweat broke out on Dai Yao's forehead as he replied through clenched teeth, "I... might have accidentally disturbed it."
Internally, Dai Yao was cursing his luck. He had no choice but to consume the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass and the Infernal Delicate Apricot if he wanted even the slightest chance of survival.
Dugu Bo's gaze remained fixed on him, suspicion flickering in his eyes. So he does know something about this place. Those herbs are deadly poisonous—I've tried them myself. Yet somehow, he's tampered with them and survived.
Dugu Bo's eyes narrowed, calculating. Once he finishes treating Ye Lingling, I'll extract his secret by any means necessary.
The tension between them lifted as Dugu Bo forced a smile. "So you touched my herbs, did you? No matter. Treat Ye Lingling, and I won't just let you live—I'll even give you half my garden if you want."
Dai Yao scoffed inwardly. Empty promises. What use is your garden if I don't make it out alive?
"Let's get this over with," Ye Lingling said with a frosty glare.
Sighing in resignation, Dai Yao nodded. Both glanced at Dugu Bo, who remained nearby. Dai Yao couldn't resist thinking, Your granddaughter has to undress, and you're just going to stand here?
After clearing his throat, Dugu Bo moved a little further away, climbing back up to the ledge where he could keep a discreet watch. He didn't intend to let his granddaughter face Dai Yao alone. Ye Lingling is no match for him—I'll stay close enough to intervene if necessary, he thought, keeping an eye through a narrow gap in the rocks.
"Alright, undress," Dai Yao said bluntly once Dugu Bo had left.
Ye Lingling fixed him with a frosty glare. "If I see you even think about looking, I'll gouge out your eyes."
Before she could even finish, Dai Yao interrupted, "Yeah, yeah, gouging out my eyes. Got it. Are we done with the threats?"
She clenched her jaw, letting out an irritated huff. Dead men tell no tales, she reminded herself, deciding she could bear it. As she loosened her jade green belt and let her outer garment fall, her pale skin glistened in the forest light.
When she reached for the rest of her attire, Dai Yao interrupted, "Wait—only your top is necessary."
Ye Lingling hesitated, a faint blush tinting her cheeks. While she'd steeled herself for this, disrobing before a man was still a bit mortifying. She drew a deep breath, collecting herself. "Fine. Start the treatment already."
Summoning the energy from his Chaos Lotus spirit, Dai Yao carefully directed the faint green light to his fingertips, cautiously enveloping it in his spirit power to conceal its uniqueness. Once Ye Lingling was settled, he placed his hands on her bare back.
He felt her tense under his touch, her body shivering slightly. Yet he ignored it, his focus solely on the task. This woman held no allure for him—especially not with Zhu Zhuqing in his thoughts.
Maintaining his composure, Dai Yao let his spirit power trickle into her body, guiding the green energy through her meridians with painstaking control. Slowly, it reached the toxic concentration within her bone marrow, and Dai Yao gradually used the energy to disintegrate the accumulated poison.
A soft gasp escaped her lips, her body trembling uncontrollably as the warm spirit power seeped through her. An involuntary moan slipped past her defenses.
"Stop moving!" Dai Yao snapped, furrowing his brows. Her movements threatened to destabilize the energy within her, and he couldn't afford an accident now.
Ye Lingling stilled, doing her best to suppress her reactions to the soothing warmth spreading within her. The poison was gradually dissipating, but the slower he went, the better it worked. Yet for Dai Yao, the longer the process dragged on, the worse his own predicament became. Cold sweat dampened his forehead as he prayed for rescue.
Suddenly, a gleaming light appeared in the sky above, accompanied by an imposing, bone-chilling sword aura.
(End of Chapter)
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