Ye Chen took a deep breath, a trace of arrogance flashing in his eyes, as if Master Su’s life or death depended entirely on his will.
He reached out, intending to open the clothes covering Master Su’s chest and abdomen.
But just as his fingertips were about to touch the fabric—
An unexpected change occurred!
Ye Chen suddenly retracted his hand, as though burned by something invisible, his eyes filled with shock and suspicion.
He looked closely again.
Where the old man’s thin chest should have been, there was now a sudden layer of flashing, multi-colored squares—like the glitching screen of an old television with bad reception.
Mosaic?
Ye Chen rubbed his eyes hard, trying to shake off this absurd illusion.
But when he looked again, not only had the bizarre mosaic not disappeared, it seemed to have come alive. The colors grew more chaotic, the flickering faster, completely covering Master Su’s body.
“Who?!”
Ye Chen jerked his head up, his gaze sharp as a blade, sweeping across everyone in the room. His voice was cold enough to pierce bone. “Who’s playing tricks?!”
The sudden disruption made his inner qi ripple, and an uncontrollable anger began to rise within him.
At such a critical moment in treatment, someone dared to use such a despicable trick to interfere? Courting death!
The air in the room froze instantly. The Su family’s core members glanced at each other, bewildered.
From their perspective, they only saw Ye Chen’s hands hovering over Master Su’s exposed chest, his movement stalled and his expression grim.
Su Wanying, already anxious to the limit, now saw Ye Chen stop and start looking around suspiciously. Anger surged through her.
Her full chest heaved with rapid breaths as her tone carried unhidden annoyance and reprimand. “Ye Chen! Can you do it or not? My grandpa is still waiting for you to save him!”
Her clear voice, usually tinged with seductive charm, now carried mostly frustration at his delay.
Ye Chen’s face darkened further under her rebuke.
He forced down the fury in his heart and ignored the strange scene before him.
Even if he couldn’t see the exact distribution of the acupoints, he had absolute confidence in the medical skills he’d honed for years and in his mastery over the human body’s structure.
Even with his eyes closed, he could find them precisely!
“Hmph, just a little trick to distract me.”
Ye Chen snorted coldly, no longer paying attention to the glaring mosaic. Relying on muscle memory and his familiarity with the meridians, he gathered qi at his fingertips, preparing to forcefully insert the needles.
Qin Xiao quietly observed from the side, the curve at his lips deepening.
The effect of [Absolute Territory (18+)] was even more amusing than he’d imagined.
Seeing Ye Chen trying to act composed while clearly thrown off… The timing wasn’t enough yet.
He needed to add fuel to the fire.
Qin Xiao casually took a few steps closer to Su Wanying, narrowing the distance between them.
He tilted his head slightly, leaning in to whisper something in her ear that only she could hear.
The warm breath brushed her sensitive earlobe, making her slender body shiver almost imperceptibly.
She looked up at him in surprise, a trace of daze and delight flickering in her eyes.
This man—why was he being so forward today?
“No… my grandpa’s still in danger…”
Qin Xiao’s tone was low, tempting, “It’s fine, he can handle it…”
After all, although Qin Xiao had accepted the Su family’s marriage arrangement, he had always kept a polite distance from her, never showing such intimacy before.
Could it be…
Su Wanying’s heartbeat quickened sharply, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
Already deeply attached to him, she couldn’t think about her grandfather or Ye Chen’s treatment at this moment.
She unconsciously leaned closer, her slender fingers hooking lightly at the hem of Qin Xiao’s clothes where no one could see, her fingertips trembling faintly as if engaged in some secret, thrilling game. Find the original chapter at novelping(.)com.
Qin Xiao felt the softness at his side but kept his expression steady, silently counting down in his head.
Ye Chen was now fully focused on his so-called “Thirteen Ghost Gate Needles.” The silver needles spun deftly between his fingers—though his sight was blocked, his strong control still guided them to the acupoints.
Sweat slid down his forehead. This wasn’t easy.
Only the last needle remained!
Once it went in, Master Su would be revived, and Ye Chen would still be the almighty savior.
But just as he was gathering his focus for the final, decisive insertion—
That faint but intimate interaction at the side finally pulled part of his attention away.
He cast an impatient glance over.
And froze as though struck by lightning!
Qin Xiao and Su Wanying were almost pressed together, and from their necks down to the point where his vision was cut off, they were also covered by a thick, violently flickering mosaic!
The mosaic seemed to mock him, igniting the anger he’d been holding back into a full blaze!
What the hell?!
That damned mosaic again!
And these two—flirting at his side while he was trying to save someone—covered by this bizarre censorship?!
Humiliation!
“Pu—!”
Overcome with rage, Ye Chen felt a sweetness in his throat as his barely stabilized qi burst out of control.
A mouthful of blood sprayed forth, staining the bed sheets.
His hand trembled, and the final silver needle meant for the critical acupoint missed its mark.
“Pu—!”
Almost at the same time, Master Su coughed up a mouthful of dark blood, the faint color returning to his face instantly fading again. His breathing grew even weaker.
“Grandpa!”
Su Wanying’s desperate cry broke the air. Tears blurred her vision and streamed down her cheeks like broken pearls.
She stumbled to the bedside. Seeing her grandfather’s lifeless, ashen face again was like having her heart gripped by an invisible hand—she could hardly breathe.
The brief hope that had flared moments ago was snuffed out entirely by Ye Chen’s reversed blood.
Despair once more filled the room, heavier than before.
Ye Chen clutched his chest, blood at his lips, glaring at Qin Xiao and Su Wanying with venomous hatred. The maddening mosaic still flickered in his sight, mocking his failure.
He couldn’t understand it—he’d been just one step away. Why had it failed?
Could it really be… those two?
Qin Xiao stood silently, frowning slightly at the chaos.
His goal was only to stop Ye Chen from showing off and irritate this so-called Child of Destiny. He hadn’t planned for Master Su to actually die.
If the old man truly passed, the Su family would fall into turmoil, which wouldn’t benefit his plans. And besides…
Looking at Su Wanying’s tear-streaked, grief-filled face tugged at something deep inside him.
Forget it—this was about a life.
“Yiyi, got any way to save the old man?” Qin Xiao asked in his mind, his tone brooking no refusal.
[Host… you just used Absolute Territory. That Prism-tier system drained a lot of energy…] Yun Yiyi sounded aggrieved. [And since Ye Chen failed, isn’t the goal achieved?]
“Cut the nonsense, he’s about to die. Refresh again and find something to save him—or your three skins are gone.”
[Waaah! Don’t, Host!] Yun Yiyi panicked, the system interface lighting again, the glow clearly weaker from overuse.
[Result: Silver—Pet First Aid Guide, Gold—Appliance Repair (Grandmaster), Prism—Finishing Touch (Limited)!]
[Finishing Touch (Limited): Prism-tier special skill. When an event is missing only the final step to completion, grants one perfect completion opportunity. This effect can only be used once and lasts ten minutes.]
Qin Xiao’s eyes narrowed.
Finishing Touch? Exactly what was needed for the missed final step.
“This one. Activate now.”
[Ding! Prism system—Finishing Touch (Limited) activated! Remaining time: 9 minutes 59 seconds!]
Under the desperate, angry, and bewildered stares of the Su family—and the disbelieving, murderous glare of Ye Chen—Qin Xiao calmly stepped forward.
He moved to the bedside, ignoring the blood splattered on the sheets, and bent down to pick up the silver needle Ye Chen had fumbled.
The needle that would decide life or death.
“What are you doing?!” a middle-aged Su family member barked, wary.
Ye Chen also struggled to stop him. “Qin Xiao! Don’t you dare—”
Qin Xiao ignored them all.
His fingers held the needle steady, not the slightest tremor in his wrist.
With the system’s guidance, the exact point, angle, and depth for the final insertion were perfectly clear in his mind, as though he had practiced it countless times.
No hesitation.
His eyes focused, the needle fell.
The motion was clean, precise—almost beautiful.
The silver tip sank flawlessly into the vital acupoint.
Time seemed to freeze.
Then—
“Cough… cough cough…”
Master Su’s frail but distinct cough broke the stillness.
The gray in his face faded as a trace of healthy pink slowly returned.
His chest rose and fell with renewed strength, his once-disordered breathing becoming steady.
He was saved!
The room’s oppressive silence shattered instantly.
“Dad!”
“Grandpa!”
The Su family crowded around, their relief spilling into tears.
Su Wanying’s head snapped up, her tear-filled eyes locking on Qin Xiao.
Shock, joy, and an indescribable heat filled her gaze.
This man had calmly pulled her grandfather back from death.
Overwhelmed, she threw herself into his arms, her warm, soft body pressing tightly against him.
Fragrance and softness enveloped him.
Before Qin Xiao could react, she tilted her tear-streaked yet irresistibly alluring face up, rose on her toes, and pressed her burning lips to his.
Her kiss carried the salt of tears and her unique sweetness—soft, warm, and with a hint of urgent exploration.
Qin Xiao’s body stiffened at the sensation, feeling the slippery warmth nearly breach his defenses.
He raised a hand to gently push her back a little, meeting her glistening peach blossom eyes with a faintly exasperated, slightly teasing smile.
“Hey. Don’t stick out your tongue.”