Chapter 105: There Is Indeed Something Amiss

“You really are a curious little girl. Since you’re merely taking off your top, there’s no harm between siblings, but we still have to consider young Ling Xiao’s opinion,” Old Fu said with a relaxed air. After all, Zhang Xiaolan always referred to them as brother and sister, and she truly believed they were siblings, so he didn’t press the matter further. Yet, in the end, it still depended on the young brother’s feelings.

“Miss Zhang sees Ling Xiao as a child, but he’s already quite a man. It’s best not to stir up this kind of trouble,” Lin Li spoke up, feeling that Zhang Xiaolan lacked the proper demeanor of a young lady. Any other girl hearing this would have fled in embarrassment, but she seemed to enjoy watching, and it was making him blush on her behalf.

“There’s nothing to it. You all just overcomplicate things. Ling Xiao and I share a sibling-like bond. I’m helping him with his treatment, not doing anything improper. What’s there to be ashamed of?” Zhang Xiaolan’s mindset was naturally different from those of the ‘old-fashioned’ folk around her. After all, she had traveled through time from the 21st century. She genuinely overlooked their concerns, seeing these matters as trivial.

“Lanlan, you think it’s fine, but Ling Xiao would feel awkward. Isn’t that right, Ling Xiao?” Li Rui was unwilling to remain silent and urged the usually quiet Ling Xiao to speak. Everyone here was arguing on his behalf, yet he remained silent.

“Sister Lan, it is indeed somewhat improper…” Ling Xiao finally spoke, his shyness evident. After all, he was a young man and couldn’t be indifferent to a woman seeing him ‘bare above the waist.’ Though it was only his upper body, and as Zhang Xiaolan had said, she had seen him like this before, the thought flushed his cheeks crimson.

Earlier, he hadn’t thought much of it, but with Zhang Xiaolan’s words, this ‘little man’ suddenly felt quite embarrassed.

“Tch! As if I’m so eager to look. When you take off your clothes to soak in the medicine, I’ll just step outside. That should stop you from being shy, right?” Zhang Xiaolan kept her word. Once everything was ready, she left reluctantly, standing outside the door, bored as the others began their preparations inside.

“Ling Xiao, remove your shirt and sit inside the tub,” Old Fu instructed. Ling Xiao complied, immersing himself in the tub, which already had a layer of powdered herbs and medicinal plants at the bottom—plants similar to safflower. The medicinal broth that had just boiled in the large pot had cooled somewhat, and the first batch was slowly poured in.

Meanwhile, the remaining broth in the pot was simmering again, prepared to be added later to maintain warmth, as the medicine’s efficacy required a certain temperature to penetrate the body.

“Place your hands on the rim of the tub. I’m going to draw blood from the tips of your ten fingers,” Old Fu said, while Lin Li handed over a box of needles.

He took out a silver needle about an inch long and began inserting them one by one, starting with the left thumb and moving through each finger. After piercing each finger, Lin Li pressed gently to extract blood. Ling Xiao’s face showed a trace of pain—everyone knew that the fingers were connected to the heart, so the pain was unavoidable.

Drawing out the accumulated stagnant blood from the tips of the fingers was necessary because the fingers connect intricately with the heart and the body’s meridians. To cleanse the heart of toxic, stagnant blood, the blockages in the finger channels had to be released.

After all ten fingers were pricked, Ling Xiao endured the pain well enough and felt his chest tightness ease considerably. Old Fu then gave him further instructions.