Medicinal Rhythm
Xu Xianyue carefully stored the hard-earned packets of supplementary herbs, treating them like rare treasures. She didn't immediately use them for decoction. Xie Wuqi's body was too weak to absorb the nourishment, and using them rashly might backfire. Her gaze fell on the "nature" and "charm" of the herbs themselves.
Lin Qingyan's medical records mentioned that advanced healers utilize not only the "flavor" of a medicine, but also its "qi." Xu Xianyue didn't understand such profound medical principles, but she understood the rhythm of the materials themselves. She began experimenting with the finest jade pestle, grinding several auxiliary herbs—the vermilion "Red Blood Vine," the shimmering white "Ninglu Flower," and the emerald green "Snake-biting Grass"—into an extremely fine powder, without damaging the fibers, only seeking to release their most essential aura.
A complex and unique medicinal fragrance filled the air in the workshop. It was not as bitter and strong as the decoction, but instead had the unique freshness of plants and a hint of spirituality.
She selected the finest ice silk and soaked it in a specially prepared clear solution infused with trace amounts of medicinal powder, allowing the threads to slowly absorb the medicinal properties. Then, she began the more complex weaving process.
This time, she no longer pursued a realistic and freehand velvet flower form, but instead sought to perfectly blend the "rhythm" of the medicinal herbs with the vibration frequency guided by her fingertips. She used the gentle and vein-protecting properties of "Red Blood Vine" as a foundation to outline the veins of the flowers and leaves; the refreshing and cleansing rhythm of "Condensed Dew Flower" as a guide to shape the petals; and the detoxifying and life-giving meaning of "Snake Holding Grass" embellished the whole.
The process is extremely demanding. She needs to constantly sense the subtle fluctuations transmitted by the silk thread through her fingertips, adjusting the strength and rhythm of the filigree, allowing the invisible medicinal aroma to resonate and amplify harmoniously with the inherent soothing rhythm of the velvet flower.
Failure followed failure again and again. The combination of medicinal powder and silk thread was unstable, and harmonizing the rhythm was even more difficult. Often, halfway through the weaving, the delicate balance would be broken, either the medicinal properties dissipated or the rhythm was disrupted, and the entire velvet flower would lose its spirituality and become a mere ordinary object.
Xu Xianyue remained unmoved. She calmly dismantled the failed half-finished product and started over. Wan Cui looked at her daughter's increasingly thin face and the faint dark circles under her eyes, feeling distressed. However, she dared not disturb her and could only silently reheat the food.
Several sleepless nights passed.
In the darkest moment before dawn, Xu Xianyue gently gathered the last thread on his fingertips.
A velvet flower, the like of which she had never seen before, quietly blossomed in her palm.
It doesn't resemble any real floral form, but rather a mass of condensed, flowing light. Its primary hue is a warm crimson, like the dawn's first rays, interspersed with tiny specks of white and azure, like the interweaving of morning dew and vitality. The flower's form is simple and abstract, yet possesses a natural rhythm. Holding it in your hand, you sense a gentle yet resolute presence, like the gentle flow of a spring spring, silently nourishing a restless mind.
Done.
Xu Xianyue let out a soft sigh. Her vision had dimmed slightly from her prolonged concentration, but she felt strangely energized. She could sense that the velvet flower she had named "Medicine Rhythm" held a far greater power of soothing and healing than before.
Without any hesitation, she carried this new "Medicine Rhythm" and walked towards the east wing of Jinglan Courtyard again.
The night had not yet faded, and the candlelight in the east wing was dim. Xie Wuqi remained unconscious, his face appearing increasingly pale in the candlelight, his breathing so weak that it was almost inaudible. Jingzhe stood guard like a silent stone sculpture. Seeing Xu Xianyue enter, he raised his bloodshot eyes and fixed his gaze on the velvet flower in her hand, which emitted a strange halo, his pupils shrinking slightly.
Xu Xianyue didn't say anything, but walked to the bedside and gently placed "Yao Yun" on the Tanzhong point on Xie Wuqi's chest.
There is no deliberate guidance and no complicated movements.
At the moment when the velvet flower touched his clothes, the glow of crimson, white and green seemed to be activated by an invisible force. The glow was slightly restrained, and a rhythm that was mellower and deeper than the "Spirit-Calming Snow Lotus" spread out like water waves and penetrated into Xie Wuqi's body silently.
Xu Xianyue held her breath and observed his reaction carefully.
At first, there was no noticeable change.
However, after about an incense stick of time, Xie Wuqi's furrowed brows slowly, at a speed barely perceptible to the naked eye, relaxed a fraction. His originally weak and rapid breathing gradually became a bit longer and more drawn out. Most noticeably, his fingers, which had been cramping slightly at his sides, gradually calmed down, and the terrifying purple-blue hue at their tips seemed to fade a bit.
Although he was still unconscious, the thick aura of death and pain that lingered around him seemed to be quietly dispelled a little by a gentle but firm force.
Jingzhe clenched his fists fiercely, his eyes gleaming with disbelief. He had followed Xie Wuqi for years, experiencing countless bouts of poison, but he had never seen any medication or method produce such immediate, gentle, and long-lasting positive effects! This wasn't just about suppression; it was more like... nourishment and repair!
Xu Xianyue's tense nerves finally relaxed slightly. Success. Her direction was correct. Infusing the medicinal properties of the herbs into the velvet flowers in a unique rhythmic manner could indeed directly alleviate and relieve the "burning heart" poison, especially its erosion of the soul.
She did not disturb the slow healing process. She stood quietly for a moment, confirmed that Xie Wuqi's condition had stabilized, then nodded slightly to Jingzhe and turned to leave.
"Miss Xu." Jingzhe suddenly spoke, his voice slightly hoarse.
Xu Xianyue stopped and looked back.
Jingzhe looked at her, this woman who looked particularly thin and cold in the dim candlelight, and bowed deeply: "Thank you!"
This bow comes from the heart and weighs more than a thousand pounds.
Xu Xianyue accepted it calmly, his tone still calm: "It's my job."
The things she was talking about were not the duties of a princess, but what she had to do as an explorer who was trapped here, needed Xie Wuqi to survive, and also wanted to verify her own path.
She left the east wing when it was already dawn.
Back at the West Wing workshop, fatigue washed over her like a tide, but she had no desire to sleep. She looked at the remaining medicinal powder and silk thread on the workbench, her eyes bright.
The success of "Medicinal Rhythm" not only brought Xie Wuqi a glimmer of hope, but also pointed her on an unprecedented path. Her velvet flowers were no longer just a skill, no longer just a soothing plaything. They could become a carrier, a medium, a device that combined medicinal properties with unique rhythms.
A path of instrument cultivation that belongs to Xu Xianyue, which uses the silk threads on her fingertips to connect the rhythm of heaven and earth, harmonize yin and yang, and may even cure chronic illnesses, seems to have been laid out under her feet.
She picked up an ordinary silk thread, moved her fingertips slightly, and felt the slight vibration.
The road ahead is still shrouded in mystery. The threat posed by the prince has not been lifted, the "Burning Heart" poison is deeply rooted, and the Qingling Grass is still elusive.
But at this moment, her heart was filled with unprecedented confidence and strength.
This cage cannot hold her.
This dead end will eventually be torn apart by the vitality flowing from her fingertips.
The dim morning light shone through the window lattice and fell on her calm and proud profile.
A new day has begun, but the storm is far from over.
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