Chapter 49 : What Would You Do

Chapter 49: What Would You Do?

“Such a good trading partner—what a pity she has a mouth!”

Li Yunqing was speechless inwardly. Within her serene expression, a trace of cold distance suddenly arose, and she gave no response at all.

Yet Jiang Jing, who had been watching these subtle changes, felt his eyes brighten slightly.

That fleeting shift in Li Yunqing was like a tranquil fairy suddenly transforming into an untouchable celestial maiden of the Moon Palace.

Breathing in that alluring fragrance, his heartbeat grew increasingly chaotic and heavy.

An impulse arose within him—to uncover the truth, to see Li Yunqing’s most genuine side.

As a Commandant of the Demon Suppression Division, already positioned high above others, once the thought crossed his mind, he acted on it.

“I know Miss Yunqing does not like Jiang Yu, but I’m quite curious—what kind of man is your ideal—”

Jiang Jing smiled faintly, his tone carrying a hint of casualness.

But before he could finish speaking, he saw Li Yunqing suddenly raise her hand.

Her jade-like fingers lightly pinched a needle, slicing through the air and directly piercing into his neck.

Caught off guard, Jiang Jing froze. His mouth opened, yet no sound came out. In that instant, his dark eyes were filled with astonishment.

He looked at Li Yunqing in disbelief.

He had never expected her to strike so suddenly.

“What a temper!”

Seeing Li Yunqing still calm and expressionless, Jiang Jing’s heart pounded rapidly, yet he also understood—she was angry again.

“Even her anger is interesting!”

No sooner had this thought appeared in his mind than he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back.

The next moment, the pain spread throughout his entire body.

“Hiss—”

Jiang Jing inhaled sharply, yet could not make a sound. Only the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably. “So painful!”

This was completely unlike the previous two treatments, which had been gentle and almost sensationless.

The silver needles in Li Yunqing’s hands now felt like blades—cutting through his flesh and scraping against his bones bit by bit.

“I just said a few extra words…”

Jiang Jing was inwardly speechless, yet the pain did not subside—it only intensified.

Until the cold poison within his body was triggered, bringing an even more violent wave of agony.

It was like a barbed blade being slowly pulled out from within his bones.

“Urgh…”

Jiang Jing’s body trembled violently. He clenched his teeth, veins bulging across his arms and neck, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.

A chilling aura spread outward, causing the hot water in the bath barrel to rapidly cool.

At this moment, under the stimulation of such intense pain, time seemed to stretch endlessly.

Even circulating his True Qi could not isolate that bone-piercing agony.

“Serves you right for having a loose mouth.”

“Serves you right for asking so many questions.”

“If you’re capable, go on—keep asking.”

Watching Jiang Jing endure the pain, Li Yunqing pressed her lips together slightly.

She was a physician and cultivated the Medicine King Scripture. If she wished, she had a thousand ways to make someone wish for death.

This time was merely a small lesson.

“Weng—”

Dense cold poison poured out along the silver needles.

Wherever it passed, the air froze instantly into ice.

This time, she showed no restraint—directly extracting two strands, not even using the Seven Absolute Needles to guide or suppress the pain.

Instead, she acted without restraint.

Circulating the Medicine King Scripture, she drew in the cold energy and absorbed it into her body.

At that instant, Li Yunqing also felt the terrifying chill—it seemed capable of freezing flesh and soul alike.

Even the circulation of her Mingyu Force and Medicine King Force slowed several times.

Yet she showed no panic. With a thought, her Yin Spirit left her body.

She directly separated the two strands of cold energy, placing one upon her physical body and the other upon her Yin Spirit.

At this moment, she clearly felt the Sword Intent and cold aura within her Yin Spirit surge dramatically, while the Medicine King Force within her body rapidly transformed.

The tempering of her physical body also accelerated.

That tingling sensation rose once more.

Li Yunqing bit her lip slightly, making no sound as she rapidly comprehended the cold and tempered her body.

The speed was astonishing, like something refined through countless hammerings, fully integrating into her flesh.

At that moment, she clearly felt her strength break through to the sixth skin tempering, and it continued rising rapidly.

Until it was just short of the seventh tempering, the cold energy finally dissipated.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw lines of text flashing before her.

Frost Sword Art experience +207.

Frost Sword Art (Mastery 1326/3000) Trait: Innate Sword Bones.

Medicine King Scripture experience +412.

Medicine King Scripture (Minor Completion 1303/3000) Traits: Identify Medicine by Scent, Immunity to All Poisons.

Strength: Lower Tier of the Initial Realm (55% → 66%)

Frost Sword Intent: Beginner (27% → 37%)

Yin Spirit: Minor Completion (33% → 35%)

“Sixth skin tempering—at most one more day to reach the seventh.”

“Sword Intent and Yin Spirit have also improved!”

“Very good!”

A smile appeared on Li Yunqing’s face as she looked at Jiang Jing, who was still trembling and drenched in cold sweat.

With a wave of her hand, she withdrew the silver needles and walked out of the room without looking back, leaving only a calm, emotionless sentence behind:

“The next treatment will be in two days.”

“Hu…”

Feeling the pain throughout his body suddenly vanish, Jiang Jing let out a long breath and collapsed into the bath barrel. He turned his head to look at Li Yunqing’s departing figure.

“She didn’t even check my pulse?”

At this moment, he felt both annoyed and amused.

This little temper of hers truly couldn’t tolerate even the slightest offense.

And when she could act—she showed no mercy at all. Who had taught her this?

“Still… quite interesting.”

Leaning against the bath barrel, a smile appeared on Jiang Jing’s usually stern face.

He had figured out Li Yunqing’s temperament.

As long as certain boundaries weren’t crossed, she was gentle and serene, able to converse with others.

Polite—yet that very politeness created a sense of distance, as if she treated everyone equally, making her thoughts impossible to read.

But once her temper was provoked, as long as she had something to rely on, she would never endure it—she would act without hesitation.

Lu Xingzhou, the Sword Saint’s disciple, had experienced it.

And now, so had he.

But that wasn’t the key point.

The key was that when facing Zhou Ke, the direct heir of the Zhou Family—knowing she couldn’t win, knowing the opponent’s overwhelming power—she could still endure.

She understood when to advance and when to retreat, possessing her own wisdom in dealing with people and situations.

When it was time to act, she showed no mercy.

If she were a man, she would surely achieve great things.

Yet as a woman, she was equally astonishing—bringing an unexpected brilliance.

He was at the Middle Tier of the Qi Realm. Though suppressing the cold poison limited his strength, he could still intimidate countless people.

Yet before Li Yunqing, backed by her identity as a physician, he received no special leniency.

“Why does her temper seem so interesting?”

Jiang Jing tapped his fingers rhythmically against the edge of the bath barrel.

A strange thought arose—he wanted to tease her from time to time, just to see her get angry.

As for the pain, after being tormented by cold poison for three years and constantly battling demons and evil entities, he did not find it unbearable.

Instead, being able to sense Li Yunqing’s emotional fluctuations brought him a certain amusement—the smile on his face refused to fade.

“And that fragrance…”

Thinking of the scent from Li Yunqing’s body, Jiang Jing unconsciously inhaled again. He could still faintly detect that lingering fragrance in the room.

It was exceptionally pleasant—unforgettable after just one encounter.

It even quickened the heartbeat, carrying an inexplicable allure.

It was a feeling he had never experienced with any other woman.

If not for its pure and elegant nature—like a snow lotus—he might have thought it was some kind of seductive fragrance.

“Soon… I can already use half of my True Qi.”

Feeling the increasingly smooth flow of True Qi within his body, Jiang Jing grew more delighted.

“When my strength fully recovers…”

At this thought, he suddenly wondered—

Without her reliance, how would Li Yunqing face him?

At that moment, Jiang Jing’s heart filled with anticipation, the smile on his lips deepening.

“What… would you do?”