After Being Cursed, My Cold Senior Sister Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 7

The sudden high fever caught Jiang Rulian completely off guard.

She took Qing Qian’s wrist and effortlessly channeled spiritual energy into her Spiritual Veins. Closing her eyes, she focused intently on the sensation.

The Spiritual Veins were wide and resilient—if not for the alarming, elongated fissure, Jiang Rulian would have praised Qing Qian as a promising cultivation prospect.

Now, however, it left her breathless, barely able to breathe.

She couldn’t understand the source of this injury. Senior Sister had examined Qing Qian before entering seclusion, finding only residual Demon Poison in her system.

With this fissure present, every circulation of spiritual energy would cause bone-shattering pain.

Jiang Rulian carefully tucked Qing Qian’s hand beneath her coat, then pressed her forehead against the girl’s brow.

It felt even hotter.

She suspected Qing Qian’s fever was due to this injury, and they needed a Medical Cultivator’s help.

Her first instinct was to take Qing Qian back to Tingyun Mountain.

But ever since leaving the Sect, she hadn’t taken a single step past Tingyun Mountain’s Boundary Marker. When she missed home, she took the long way around to Qingluo Peak to stare into the distance.

She felt little sense of belonging to the sect. Their interactions were limited to mutual benefit, and any occasional assistance she offered was largely due to Qing Qian and Pei Yanyan.

If she were to return now, their first meeting would likely devolve into an argument.

Jiang Rulian glanced at Qing Qian and dialed the number without hesitation. “Yanyan, quickly find a Medical Cultivator.”

“Senior, there aren’t any Medical Cultivators left. The last one passed away from illness over a decade ago.”

Qing Qian’s fingertips trembled. Jiang Rulian quickly lowered her voice.

“How come I didn’t know about this…?”

“How would you know if you never bothered to pay attention? It’s not just Medical Cultivators—usable spirit herbs are scarce too.” While Jiang Rulian wasn’t looking, Pei Yanyan stretched lazily.

“Wait, I have an idea! Our Martial Great-Aunt knows some medical techniques. You can ask her for help.”

Jiang Rulian frowned, her expression tense. “The one who’s sick is my Senior Sister. There’s an issue with her Spiritual Veins.”

“Oh, then that’s fine.”

*****

A few seconds later, Pei Yanyan’s voice suddenly raised. “Wait, did you say who? Our Martial Great-Aunt?”

Jiang Rulian heard footsteps descending the stairs. “I’ll fetch some stored spirit medicine from the inventory. If that’s not enough, go to the Monster Bureau. They still have a few Purple Ganoderma mushrooms.”

Purple Ganoderma—restores spiritual energy and nourishes the Spiritual Veins. It truly is a precious thing.

Taking Qing Qian to the Monster Bureau would mean more than just an argument. It would trigger a series of negotiations, and there was even a chance they might come to blows on the spot.

In the past, Jiang Rulian wouldn’t have hesitated. But now that Qing Qian was with her, she had too many reservations.

In the brief span of their exchange, Qing Qian had already curled up into a tight ball, clutching her clothes. Her white hair formed a dense web, trapping her in a tiny corner.

Jiang Rulian took a deep breath, activated her phone’s hands-free mode, and tucked it into her pocket. She then moved around to the other side and lifted Qing Qian into her arms.

“I’ll cross the Boundary Marker in three minutes. Tell me where Senior Sister’s courtyard is.”

Pei Yanyan spoke rapidly: “Farthest east, at the top. There’s a pear tree there. I’ll send someone with the decoction once it’s ready. The Purple Ganoderma…”

Jiang Rulian secured her hold on Qing Qian, then bounded up the steps in a few fluid strides, almost floating upward.

The wind howled past her ears as she heard herself say, “I’ll settle Senior Sister first, then I’ll come get it.”

She leaped over the Boundary Marker, and the scene around her abruptly transformed. The overgrown wilderness became a stone-paved path, flanked by newly materialized blue bricks and black-tiled roofs. Even the spiritual energy in the air thickened.

The night duty disciple rubbed his eyes at the sight of her. “Hey, you—”

Jiang Rulian didn’t have time for such thoughts. After quickly judging the direction, she swept eastward.

The courtyard with the pear tree stood out prominently. Small flower buds had already formed, clustering together like a blanket of snow on the branches.

But Jiang Rulian had no time to admire the sight. She used her spiritual energy to blast open the door and gently lay Qing Qian on the bed.

She turned on the small nightlight at the head of the bed, paused for a few seconds, and was about to turn and leave when her sleeve was tugged.

It was a barely perceptible pull, yet Jiang Rulian froze in place.

Qing Qian’s eyes remained closed, her parched lips parting and closing around a raspy whisper: “Don’t.”

Jiang Rulian’s mind went blank. Don’t what? Don’t take her medicine? Or don’t leave?

“Don’t worry about me. I just need to sleep for a while.” Qing Qian released her grip and turned her face into the pillow.

Jiang Rulian let out a bitter laugh, her knuckles cracking audibly. “How can I not worry about Senior Sister? She still hasn’t told me where she got this injury!”

Qing Qian remained silent, leaving it unclear whether she had fallen back asleep or was pretending not to hear.

Jiang Rulian took a step back, but Qing Qian’s hand reached out with uncanny precision, though it was weak and easily caught.

“Senior Sister, do you not want me to leave, or…”

Before she could finish, she felt a weight settle in her hand. Qing Qian’s breathing softened into a long, steady rhythm, as if she had fallen asleep again.

Jiang Rulian settled onto the floor to wait for Pei Yanyan to bring the medicine.

Only then did she realize her coat was still in Qing Qian’s grasp.

She tried to gently tug it free, hoping to make her Senior Sister more comfortable. Gripping a corner of the fabric, she exerted a light pull, but Qing Qian and the coat remained motionless.

Qing Qian frowned and murmured, “Hot…”

Still clinging tightly to the coat despite the heat, Jiang Rulian was at a loss. She tried coaxing, “Mm, Senior Sister, could you let go of my coat first?”

Qing Qian curled up, pressing the coat firmly beneath her. The only way to retrieve it now was to physically move her.

The practiced ease of this maneuver left Jiang Rulian with a complicated expression. Did she hear me or not?

Giving up, she turned to study Qing Qian’s sleeping face.

******

After all the commotion, several buttons on Qing Qian’s collar had come undone. Against the fine, snow-white skin, a scar stood out starkly.

The newly regenerated skin, clearly different in color from the rest, stretched along her collarbone, extending deep beneath her clothes.

This was the wound she’d sustained while slaying the Black Jiao Dragon.

The entire cultivation world proclaimed that Qing Qian, at just fourteen years old, had deployed the Nine Heavens Responding Yuan Array, harnessing heaven and earth’s power to slay the dragon. She was hailed as the undisputed top cultivator of Tingyun Mountain.

Only Jiang Rulian knew the true horror of that day. In the end, it was Qing Qian’s Master who arrived in time to bring both the girl and the demon back to Qingluo Peak.

Perhaps due to the severe injuries sustained during her formative years, Qing Qian’s health remained frail. She was perpetually sensitive to the cold, and fevers and coughs plagued her frequently.

During the battle with the Gudiao, when the Fire Spiritual Energy surged through her body, the pain must have been excruciating. Yet she remained silent, refusing to utter a word.

Jiang Rulian’s fingertips hovered, tracing the contours of Qing Qian’s face. In a voice barely audible, she murmured, “Senior Sister, can you rely on me a little more? Please don’t keep everything inside.”

Her fingers finally rested on Qing Qian’s thin lips.

Suddenly, she recalled how Qing Qian had fed her a mouthful of blood when she was near death.

A Phoenix chick is considered a potent tonic, but so is a fully-grown Phoenix—though few dare covet such a prize.

Her hazy memories also hinted at the medicinal properties of Phoenix Blood.

Thinking that a little wouldn’t hurt, Jiang Rulian used her spiritual energy to cut her fingertip. A small bead of blood formed and solidified along the wound. She carefully extended her hand, her gaze lowering as her finger hovered over Qing Qian’s lips, suddenly hesitating.

The sleeping Qing Qian resembled a luminous moon, quiet and gentle, someone one wouldn’t want to disturb.

If stained with crimson blood, it would add a vibrant hue, dragging the ethereal immortal into the mortal world, making her suddenly within reach.

Jiang Rulian’s hand wavered, neither lowering nor withdrawing.

Seeing the droplet teetering on the brink, she gritted her teeth and pressed it down.

Overwhelmed with nerves, she misjudged the pressure, momentarily flattening the beautiful cupid’s bow of Qing Qian’s lips.

The blood simply trickled along the seam of her lips, failing to enter her mouth. Panicked, Jiang Rulian tentatively moved her finger.

Unexpectedly, the moment she parted the lips slightly, the half-conscious Qing Qian bit down on her finger.

The wound was pinched by teeth, and Jiang Rulian hissed in pain, then quickly suppressed the sound, letting Qing Qian continue biting.

She felt Qing Qian’s soft, moist tongue press against the pad of her finger, then slowly lick it.

A warm tingling, like an electric current, surged from her fingertip up her arm, sending a shiver through half her body.

Jiang Rulian’s pupils dilated, and she nearly jerked her hand away. If she’d had any hair, it would have stood on end.

But Qing Qian’s damaged spiritual veins were right before her eyes. Jiang Rulian forced herself to endure it, hypnotizing herself with the mantra: It’s fine, it’s fine, this is a perfectly normal healing method.

Perhaps because the spiritual energy in her blood was too potent, and the cut Jiang Rulian had made was shallow, Qing Qian ground her canines in mild dissatisfaction before taking another sip.

Jiang Rulian couldn’t bear it anymore. With a forceful motion, she pressed her tongue down, preventing it from moving erratically.

Now that Qing Qian was still, Jiang Rulian decided to let her bleed a little longer to observe the effect.

She strained to ignore the sensation at her fingertips, emptying her mind again and again, her gaze drifting from the book on the nightstand to the pear blossom tree outside the window.

Finally, her gaze circled back to its starting point, meeting Qing Qian’s dewy eyes, as calm as ever.

Jiang Rulian: …

She yanked her hand back at breakneck speed, hiding the “evidence” behind her back.

“Senior Sister gave me blood too! This is… this is…” Jiang Rulian stammered, her vocabulary failing her. After a long pause, she finally squeezed out: “Gratitude in return!”

She watched Qing Qian press her lips together, licking away the last traces of blood. Her human heart suddenly lurched, overwhelmed.

“So hot…” Qing Qian’s eyes glazed over, unfocused, like pools of autumn water. Perhaps she wasn’t as lucid as Jiang Rulian had thought.

Phoenix blood contained Fire Spiritual Energy, which would indeed cause a feverish heat when consumed.

Jiang Rulian stammered, “The heat is normal. Senior Sister, please bear with it for a little longer.”

Qing Qian tucked stray strands of hair behind her ear, revealing a slender neck and earlobes flushed a shade lighter than rouge.

“Do you know the effects of Phoenix blood?” she asked.

Jiang Rulian felt like a poorly prepared student being quizzed by her teacher, utterly uncertain of her answer.

“Theoretically, it can heal Senior Sister’s wounds.”

“Theoretically?”

Jiang Rulian nodded. “That’s what the books say.”

Qing Qian’s gaze unfocused, her expression distant, yet her breathing remained steady.

“What books?”

“The Classic of Medicine.”

After a long pause, Qing Qian curled up under the blankets. “Get out.”

Her voice sounded muffled, as if coming from the pillow.

“Okay. If you need anything, just call me.”

Jiang Rulian obediently left, closing the door behind her.

She sat in the courtyard for a while, just as Pei Yanyan arrived to deliver medicine.

Pei Yanyan placed the thermos in front of Jiang Rulian. “Senior, you didn’t go to the Monster Bureau?”

“Senior Sister detained me,” Jiang Rulian replied truthfully, noticing the incredulous expression on Pei Yanyan’s face.

She half-considered smacking Pei Yanyan on the head.

“The Sect Leader ordered us to keep a low profile. How did you even pass the assessment?”

Pei Yanyan skipped the topic entirely, yawning loudly. “I delivered the medicine. Make sure Martial Great-Aunt drinks it.”

“I know that without you telling me.”

After Pei Yanyan left, Jiang Rulian carried the thermos and knocked on the bedroom door.

No response.

“Senior Sister?” she called out again.

The door didn’t budge when she pushed, likely locked.

Left with no choice, Jiang Rulian placed the thermos outside the door, waiting for Qing Qian to retrieve it herself.

With nothing else to do, she even went back to fetch the Gu Insect Atlas from her car.

She then set up paper and brush in the study, preparing to study diligently all night.

The first page depicted a pitch-black insect said to kill its victims within seven days of a bite. Jiang Rulian glanced at it and began memorizing.

When she opened the book, it was the Triggering God-Devouring Gu.

When she closed it, it became the Godslayer Thousand Mechanisms Gu.

*****

By the time she put pen to paper, it had transformed into something like “What God? What Gu?”

After repeating this frustrating process several times, Jiang Rulian simply gave up.

She had never been one to force herself. If she couldn’t memorize it, so be it. She continued flipping through the pages with a rustle.

Halfway through the book, she finally spotted a familiar gu.

Spirit Attractor: Parasitizes only within the bodies of the Demon Race, bursts out of the host within seconds, and self-destructs upon landing.

Jiang Rulian compared the description repeatedly. There was no mistake—it was the same gu she had burned to death last time.

But if a Demon is killed by a Spirit Attractor, how could it have bitten anyone?

Her eyes narrowed as she absentmindedly doodled circles on the paper with her pen, her left index finger tapping a rhythm on the table.

Or could it be… the problem wasn’t the Demon at all?

When deep in thought, Jiang Rulian couldn’t sit still. She had to get up and move around.

For example, she might check if Senior Sister’s medicine was still by her door, or admire Senior Sister’s collection of books.

Amidst the neatly categorized rows of books, her gaze immediately fell upon the Classic of Medicine.

It actually exists! Jiang Rulian thought, her spirits lifting. My memory isn’t so bad after all.

Encouraged, she resolved to thoroughly study the miraculous properties of Phoenix Blood, hoping to teach herself and bring Senior Sister back to health as soon as possible.

She flipped through the table of contents to find the relevant page.

The black text on white paper was clear and unmistakable: Phoenix Blood, when used in medicine, could cure chronic illnesses and nourish the meridians.

However, its potent Fire Essence could disrupt the Mind Palace, causing mild symptoms like restlessness and anxiety, or severe consequences—complete incineration of the body, beyond one’s control.

The text then listed various suppressants to counteract these effects…

Jiang Rulian: ?

Wait a minute… something seems off here.

She couldn’t bring herself to read any further. Trembling, she closed the book, a single thought echoing in her mind:

I’m… doomed!

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