Mu Qingxuan calmly recounted Old Madam Huo’s symptoms one by one: "Your face is sallow, and your lips have a dark, purplish hue. This is a classic case of migraine caused by blood stasis obstructing the meridians. Each time it flares up, it is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting, yet what you bring up is mostly clear phlegm and saliva."
Old Madam Huo’s eyes widened in shock. She asked in astonishment, "How did you know?"
Mu Qingxuan smiled faintly. "Grandmother, to be honest, the Mu Family is a long-standing lineage of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. I was fortunate enough to inherit our family’s traditions and have been studying medicine since I was a child. Traditional Chinese medicine relies on looking, listening, questioning, and pulse-taking. Assessing your complexion to determine your symptoms is not difficult for me."
Old Madam Huo had been tormented by migraines for many years; she had visited many doctors at the Military Region Hospital and taken countless medications, but nothing had worked.
She opened her mouth, intending to retort that even if a young girl like her could identify the symptoms, she certainly couldn't treat them.
But before the words could escape, a fierce headache suddenly struck.
It felt as if someone were striking her head with a giant hammer, and a persistent buzzing sound rang deep within her brain.
In an instant, Old Madam Huo’s face turned deathly pale. Sweat poured down like rain, and her vision blurred.
Putting aside her dislike for Mu Qingxuan, she reached out as if grasping at a final straw. "Can you cure it?"
Mu Qingxuan furrowed her brows, opened her silver needle pouch, and said calmly, "Grandmother, lie down on the bed. I will perform acupuncture to relieve your pain first."
"Those long silver needles... are you going to stick them into my head?"
Old Madam Huo swallowed hard, feeling a sense of dread.
Her brain was already aching enough; having it pierced by needles—wouldn't that hurt even more?
For a moment, Old Madam Huo felt even more annoyed, convinced that Mu Qingxuan was just playing games with her.
Mu Qingxuan was unfazed by her reaction.
In her past life, she had treated countless patients, and very few hadn't been afraid of the silver needles.
She comforted her softly, "Grandmother, this isn't for your head. Just close your eyes. Don't worry, it won't hurt."
Mu Qingxuan helped Old Madam Huo lie down on the bed, took out a silver needle, and carefully inserted it into an acupoint along the Gallbladder Meridian.
The Foot Shaoyang Gallbladder Meridian runs along the sides of the head, and migraines often occur in this area; therefore, the gallbladder meridian points were of the utmost importance for treating them.
Once the needle was in, Old Madam Huo’s body, which had been trembling from the intense pain, gradually relaxed. The sharp, piercing agony dissipated significantly in an instant.
She unknit her tightly furrowed brows and breathed rapidly, "...It seems... not as painful anymore."
Mu Qingxuan didn't respond; she turned and removed the old woman’s socks.
Old Madam Huo hadn't washed up yet, and her feet, having been stifled in her shoes and socks all day, emitted a faint, sour odor.
Old Madam Huo smelled it too, and her face flushed red with embarrassment.
Yet, Mu Qingxuan acted as if she couldn't smell it at all. She took out her needles and inserted them one by one into the other meridian points.
Afterward, she instructed, "Grandmother, this is just the initial treatment to relieve the pain; it cannot cure it entirely."
"Get a good night's sleep tonight. When you wake up tomorrow, I will begin the formal treatment."
Old Madam Huo keenly caught the implication in Mu Qingxuan’s words and asked with delight, "Do you mean that there is a chance my chronic migraine can be completely cured?"
"Of course," Mu Qingxuan nodded confidently.
Migraines were not some incurable illness; as long as they were treated on schedule, a full recovery was not a difficult task.
Moreover, Old Madam Huo’s migraine was of the blood-stasis-obstructing-meridians type, usually triggered by repressed emotions and internal heat, which led to stagnant qi and blood.
As long as Old Madam Huo cooperated with the treatment from now on and maintained a happy and relaxed mood every day, she would recover very soon.
Old Madam Huo’s eyes lit up, but when her gaze fell upon Mu Qingxuan’s young, pretty face, a sense of distrust returned.
She had seen so many chief physicians who couldn't cure her; even if Mu Qingxuan had some skill in pain relief, she likely didn't possess the supernatural ability to cure her completely.
*Oh well,* she thought, *being able to relieve the pain is good enough.*
Old Madam Huo sighed, her expression softening with kindness. "Thank you for your hard work."
"It's nothing. Grandmother, lie down for a little longer; I'll remove the needles in a while."
Mu Qingxuan pursed her lips, accustomed to Old Madam Huo’s look.
In her past life, people had always questioned her medical skills because she was young, attractive, and a woman.
Yet, in the end, Mu Qingxuan had pulled them back from the jaws of death one by one, using her capabilities to prove just how wrong their preconceived biases were.
With a calm gaze, Mu Qingxuan used highly professional techniques to remove the needles, wiped them clean, and tucked them back into her pouch.
"Grandmother, rest well tonight. I'm heading back now."
Old Madam Huo’s symptoms required not only acupuncture but also medication.
Mu Qingxuan thought about the prescription as she walked back.
However, just as she stepped into her room, a veiny, muscular arm suddenly reached out from the darkness, wrapped around her slim waist, and pinned her against the cold wall.
Mu Qingxuan’s eyes widened. Just as she was about to speak, the man’s other large hand covered her lips.
They were pressed very close together. As Mu Qingxuan breathed, she was enveloped by the scent of the soap the man had just used.
Her soft waist and abdomen were pressed tightly against the man’s firm, solid muscles. With every breath, their heartbeats began to synchronize.
Mu Qingxuan squinted, making out the sharp silhouette of Huo Changfeng’s profile in the moonlight.
In the dim light, Huo Changfeng stared at her with eyes as sharp as a wolf’s, deep pools of inscrutable, intense desire swirling within them.
Mu Qingxuan blinked, wondering what he was trying to achieve by scaring her like this.
She tilted her head and kissed his palm, whispering, "Husband?"
As her lips parted, they grazed across his calloused palm—a touch as light and soft as a feather, making Huo Changfeng’s heart itch.
He leaned in another step, trapping Mu Qingxuan firmly between himself and the wall.
Mu Qingxuan tentatively reached out, pulled his hand away from her lips, and then playfully traced his abdominal muscles.
The next second, she clearly felt Huo Changfeng’s breathing falter and his muscles grow even more tense.
Mu Qingxuan narrowed her eyes with satisfaction and stood on her tiptoes, initiating a light kiss on his lips.
The room was dark, and the lingering moonlight wasn't enough for her to pinpoint his lips exactly.
She tilted her head up and only managed to kiss his cheek.
She then trailed kisses along his jawline, finally landing a soft kiss on the corner of his mouth.
Huo Changfeng was startled by her initiative. After a brief moment of stunned silence, an even greater storm brewed in his eyes.
In an instant, he took control, fiercely claiming her lips and kissing her with a mix of clumsiness and passion.
When the heated kiss ended, both were covered in a light sheen of sweat.
Huo Changfeng bent down, picked Mu Qingxuan up, and placed her on the bed.
Mu Qingxuan blinked expectantly, only to watch as Huo Changfeng suddenly pulled away and turned to leave without a second thought.
Mu Qingxuan: ?