In the outer hall, Clear Cold took off her trousers and waited for Qi Zhimu's diagnosis.
Her legs appeared flawless, yet they harbored hidden ailments left behind by Rahu's devouring.
"Pardon me."
Qi Zhimu took a specialized knife and a sampling needle. He made a small incision on Clear Cold's thigh to draw blood, then rose and entered his private laboratory.
For two years, Sleeping Snow had helped Clear Cold find many famous doctors and tried various treatment methods.
They had also sought out Vidyadhara healers skilled in Cloudhymn Water-Healing, but the results were always helpless shakes of the head.
Now that they had come to Qi Zhimu, they could only wait patiently.
After a full hour, Qi Zhimu finally stepped out of the laboratory, immediately drawing the sisters' gazes.
Seeing his current expression, the two were first stunned, and then hope welled up in their eyes.
Qi Zhimu was not like those previous healers.
He didn't shake his head or frown; instead, he looked lost in thought.
"How is it, Lord Zhimu?"
Qi Zhimu didn't answer immediately as a brief experience from his past life surfaced in his mind.
The Ten of the Stone Hearts, the previous Longjing.
Back then, Longjing had suffered from sequelae due to an artificial life extension, enduring unbearable agony every night.
After deep examination and research, he had concluded that Longjing's illness was related to the Power of Abundance.
Coincidentally, it shared a sixty to seventy percent similarity with the current condition of Clear Cold's legs.
Qi Zhimu guessed that the method Longjing used to extend his life back then might have been obtaining items containing the Power of Abundance through special means and absorbing the power within them.
But without receiving a blessing of abundance, no one knew what the body would be transformed into if it directly absorbed external Abundance power.
If it was as he expected, one could only say that Longjing was truly bold.
That guy could never have been fearless out of ignorance.
With the experience of researching Longjing's symptoms in his past life as a foundation, combined with becoming a Long-lived Species blessed by Abundance in this life, he had gained a deeper understanding of the Power of Abundance.
A way to cure Clear Cold's condition was not out of reach.
"Hmm... it might be treatable."
"Really?!"
Before Clear Cold could speak, Sleeping Snow reacted first, approaching Qi Zhimu with a face full of pleasant surprise.
"Please treat my younger sister, Lord Zhimu. As long as you can cure her legs, I will pay any price!"
"...There's no need to make it sound so heavy." Qi Zhimu waved his hand, signaling for her to calm down first.
Clear Cold held her sister's hand, suppressing the joy in her heart.
"Please do not hesitate, Lord Zhimu. I long to return to the battlefield. No matter how difficult or painful the treatment process is, I will not back down."
Qi Zhimu empathized quite a bit with why Clear Cold yearned for it. After a moment of deliberation, he said:
"Come here tomorrow after nightfall to take a dose of medicine. I must monitor the effects in real-time. Tonight won't work; some medicinal ingredients need time to be prepared."
"Alright, then Clear Cold and I will not disturb you further, Lord Zhimu. We will trouble you again tomorrow."
Qi Zhimu did not see them out, letting them leave on their own.
He took out a mobile phone he rarely used on the Xianzhou and placed an urgent order with the Interstellar Peace Corporation.
Early the next morning, the Corporation's delivery staff delivered the goods intact.
Seeing those familiar medicinal ingredients, Qi Zhimu's thoughts involuntarily drifted away, returning to the planet where he had lived for... over a hundred years in his first life.
Some memories were a bit blurry, but it should be this time, yes.
These medicinal ingredients were products of that world, though other worlds possessed them as well.
Jingliu woke up and went out for special training as usual.
She was very self-disciplined; even without Qi Zhimu watching, she wouldn't slack off.
Qi Zhimu felt at ease diving into the laboratory, searching for the medicine compounding process in his memories from hundreds of years ago.
It went smoothly.
In less than an hour, he completed the inhibitory drug he had once developed.
He wanted to record the effect of the inhibitory drug on Clear Cold's condition, and then use that as a basis to formulate a new course of treatment and new medications.
Having taken biology as an elective during his past life as a Short-Lived Species had indeed helped a lot.
At this thought, Qi Zhimu's face froze, and a sense of inexplicable strangeness flashed through his heart.
It was like a daze, like a blank space.
Strange... why couldn't he... remember the reason he chose biology as an elective? Was it because too much time had passed?
After thinking hard for a while, Qi Zhimu gradually recalled some minor details.
When he was a child and nearly died in a deep pit filled with rotting corpses, a woman appeared and saved him in time.
Although that memory was very blurry, the person who saved him should indeed be the famous senior, Yu Qintu.
A famous pharmacist of the Genius Society, she had an eccentric temper but some involvement in biology.
"I remember now."
When he was very young, Yu Qintu had taught him for a period of time. At that time, he wanted to become her disciple, but the former refused, saying she didn't take students.
But even so, a genius's whim to impart knowledge was enough to benefit one for a lifetime.
Later, he always respected Yu Qintu as a senior.
Qi Zhimu didn't realize at all that the brain's automatic repair of specific blank memories would lead to what kind of deviations in the past.
But, he didn't need to realize it either.
At night, the inseparable sisters arrived on time, just in time to see Qi Zhimu carrying Jingliu back from the Martial Arts Field.
Having had the experience from last night and understanding Qi Zhimu's inconveniences, Sleeping Snow stepped forward to help on her own initiative.
Everything was like the night before.
Witnessing the miraculous recovery speed of Jingliu's injuries after the medicinal bath once again, Sleeping Snow suppressed her curiosity deep in her heart and did not ask any questions.
She knew what they were here for.
Qi Zhimu didn't delay either, handing the inhibitory drug to Clear Cold to take.
After Clear Cold took it, she went to the Martial Arts Field with Sleeping Snow to spar, using the simplest method to test the efficacy.
In roughly over three minutes, Clear Cold was unable to steady her lower body, revealing a flaw that no Cloud Knight should have, and her figure fell toward the ground.
Fortunately, Sleeping Snow was quick and caught her by the waist.
Qi Zhimu diagnosed her on the spot, placing needles in several acupuncture points on Clear Cold's legs, and signaled them to continue after removing the needles.
This time, the loss of control in Clear Cold's legs occurred five minutes later.
Qi Zhimu applied the needles again.
The third round of sparring began and ended at nearly nine minutes.
"That's enough."
Qi Zhimu already had an idea. He returned to the house and informed the two of his preliminary conclusions.
"It can be cured, but the treatment process is tedious. It requires nightly acupuncture for three years. If the treatment is interrupted for too long, the symptoms will reappear and prolong the course of treatment."
Three years was but a blink of an eye for a Long-lived Species.
However, the words 'every night' became the biggest problem.
Qi Zhimu's primary role was not a healer, but a Cloud Knight Vanguard who had to go on expeditions to suppress Abominations.
Thinking of this, the joy that had just appeared on Sleeping Snow and Clear Cold's faces turned into hesitation.
"I believe you've also thought of the inconvenience, so—"
Qi Zhimu paused and met their gazes.
"During this period, I'll have to trouble Clear Cold to be my personal guard."
"It's no trouble at all! I can do it too, and I will never drag you back, Lord Zhimu!" Sleeping Snow knelt on one knee and lowered her head without a hint of hesitation.
Qi Zhimu thought for a moment and nodded in tacit agreement.
"Very well."
...
The sisters