Chapter 16: The Urge to Prick Something
Finding that the expensive item couldn’t be used, Chen Huai’an decided to contact customer service. Instead, he used the day’s free Heavenly Divination.
“How can I heal Li Qingran’s injuries?”
[Performing Heavenly Divination for you...]
Boom! The skies over the Cangyun Realm churned.
Numerous sect elders and Nascent Soul Old Monsters were startled awake from meditation.
“Good heavens! Who is attempting Heavenly Divination again? It’s only been two days!”
“Could it be some grandmaster skilled in divination? Perhaps the Patriarch of Anci Chant Hall?”
“Alas, the Spiritual Qi in the Cangyun Realm is dwindling by the day. These powerful figures must be growing desperate. Let us focus on our own closed-door cultivation and strive to break through our bottlenecks…”
“Evacuate! Evacuate! If they uncover the secrets of our demonic sect, it could ruin our plans!”
…
[Heavenly Divination Complete: You may use either "Transmission and Recovery" or "Golden Needle Acupuncture" to heal Li Qingran. The former offers moderate effects, restoring 30% of her injuries, while the latter provides powerful healing, fully recovering all current injuries except for her dantian and spiritual root damage.]
[The Virtual Girlfriend Shop has captured a trace of Heavenly Insight. Would you like to purchase the lost skill "Golden Needle Acupuncture" for ¥9,998? Once purchased, this skill will become a permanent feature and can be upgraded. Each use will only require purchasing needle consumables.]
Chen Huai’an: “...”
He was losing his mind.
The in-game shop was now capturing Heavenly Insights. What was next—tracking Heavenly Insights in toilets and bathtubs?
And ¥9,998 for a single skill? Fine, but having to pay for upgrades and needle consumables too? Did this game even consider players as human beings?!
But when Chen Huai’an glanced at the blood-soaked Li Qingran, he couldn’t help but think of his late parents. Though his family hadn’t been wealthy, his parents had always tried to give him the best. For the first time, he could somewhat empathize with their sacrifices.
“Top up!”
[Congratulations on obtaining the lost skill: Golden Needle Acupuncture.]
[Technique Activated: Flowing Cloud Hands.]
[Technique Activated: Spring Revival Acupuncture lv1.]
[Consumable Needed: Special Silver Needles, 64 units, totaling ¥640. Please top up to purchase.]
Chen Huai’an clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. “You think I’m not paying, huh?”
[Please top up.]
“Fine, fine, just take my money!”
As shameless as the game was, he couldn’t abandon Li Qingran. Another ¥640 vanished from his account.
With the skill unlocked and materials purchased, he asked, “What’s next?”
[Please undress Li Qingran for treatment.]
Chen Huai’an froze, typing a slow “???” into the chat box.
Finally, it’s happening!
Wait—no. Now wasn’t the time for such thoughts! Saving her life was the priority!
“Who called 120? Who needs treatment?!” Paramedics rushed over as the ambulance arrived.
Zhang Rui pointed to Chen Huai’an, who was focused on his phone with an intense glow in his eyes. “Him.”
“What’s wrong with him?” The paramedic, at a glance, couldn’t see any apparent injuries.
“He’s in the late stages of bone cancer, with osteosarcoma. His leg is fractured from climbing Mount Tais.”
Late-stage bone cancer and a fractured leg from climbing Mount Tais?
The paramedic’s eye twitched. Was this even coherent?
Skeptical, he assumed Zhang Rui was joking. After all, the young man seemed engrossed in his phone, showing no signs of pain. Shouldn’t someone with a broken leg be clutching it in agony, pale and wailing? And late-stage cancer? Was this guy one of the Eighteen Copper Men of Shaolin, immune to pain? R̃ä₦ȱ𝐁Èʂ
Still, to err on the side of caution, the paramedic examined Chen Huai’an’s leg. Pulling up the pant leg, his expression immediately darkened.
“Quick! Get a stretcher down here!”
The young man’s leg was indeed fractured, with visible subcutaneous cysts—the hallmark of osteosarcoma. His shin was severely deformed, the fractured area swollen with a large purplish-red lump full of clotted blood.
If left untreated, his leg would be beyond saving.
Then again, with the tumors so advanced, the leg might already be beyond saving...
The paramedics carried Chen Huai’an onto the stretcher, stunned by his calm demeanor. It was their first time encountering such a composed patient.
“Dude, why are you still playing on your phone?!” Zhang Rui couldn’t believe it.
What kind of game was so engrossing? From his angle, Chen Huai’an’s screen was completely black. Was he hallucinating?
As the ambulance drove away, Zhang Rui returned the borrowed power bank to the store, his thoughts growing darker.
Could Chen Huai’an have a mental illness? It would explain his insensitivity to pain and apparent indifference to death.
Realizing he had been rude to someone with terminal cancer and possible mental issues, Zhang Rui slapped himself.
“I’m such an a**hole…”
…
In the ambulance, two nurses watched Chen Huai’an, still intensely tapping on his phone. His screen was pitch black, and yet he seemed completely engrossed.
In Chen Huai’an’s perspective, he was focused on treating Li Qingran using Golden Needle Acupuncture.
Her clothing had been loosened—purely for treatment purposes, of course! He held the phone close to his face, not for any ulterior motives but to avoid awkwardness.
Besides, seeing her body covered in countless wounds left no room for improper thoughts. The game’s interface displayed a floating acupuncture map over her body, with bright points marking the necessary needle placements. Even private areas were obscured by the overlay.
He barely noticed any details beyond the flashing points—he was too busy keeping up with the frantic rhythm, which felt like an S-tier Dance Dance Revolution challenge.
A nurse waved a hand in front of his face, frustrated by his lack of response. “Sir, the doctor is speaking to you!”
Chen Huai’an tilted his head to dodge her hand without looking up. “Sorry, I’m busy. Please wait a moment.”
The doctor sighed, sharing a glance with the nurse. Quietly, he said, “Prepare his admission paperwork. I’ll fetch Dr. Wu from psychiatry.”
The medical team had just left when Chen Huai’an completed the procedure.
With the final needle twist, streaks of azure energy surged from the 64 silver needles. Li Qingran’s bleeding wounds instantly closed, her injuries healing rapidly without a scar left behind.
[Grind the Immortal-Grade Great Recovery Pill into powder and sprinkle it over the wounds.]
Following the on-screen prompts, Chen Huai’an used a virtual mill to grind the pill into fine powder, applying it meticulously. Li Qingran’s wounds regenerated at an astonishing speed, returning her body to flawless health.
“Finally done!” Chen Huai’an exhaled in relief. Li Qingran’s status now read as stable, though she remained unconscious.
But now…
Chen Huai’an swallowed.
It was time to...
[Battery Low]
Just as he prepared to admire Li Qingran’s beauty, his phone died.
No way!
He stared at the blank screen in disbelief, frozen for half a minute before clenching his teeth.
Where was that power bank from Mount Tais?!
It was only then that he noticed something off—he wasn’t at the mountain anymore.
Looking around in confusion, he realized he was in a hospital.
“When did I get here? Did I teleport?”
“Kid, keep it down! I’m trying to sleep…” a dry, elderly voice croaked from the next bed.
Turning his head, Chen Huai’an saw an old man with a bandaged leg, dark circles under his eyes from what was likely a sleepless, pain-filled night. Chen quickly quieted down.
However, his gaze soon fell on a set of silver needles on the old man’s bedside table.
He flexed his fingers, itching with anticipation.
That small, thrilling sensation...
He just wanted to prick something.