Ye Tong first glanced at Xu Mu before asking, "What kind of help do you need?"
Xiao Ran briefly explained the situation from start to finish.
"What? You know medicine too?"
Ye Tong looked at Xu Mu in disbelief, though she recalled Wang Weiliang often mentioning that Xu Mu was a pharmaceutical genius.
So it wasn’t impossible for him to know a thing or two about medicine.
[Affection Points +20]
A blush spread across Ye Tong’s face—no wonder he was her man.
"I know a little, just a little," Xu Mu said with a smile, looking at Ye Tong. "Sweetheart, you’re glowing—harmonious marital life, balanced hormones, excellent health."
Hearing this, Ye Tong was so embarrassed she could hardly face anyone.
Before, Xu Mu never slept at home, yet she still suffered from insomnia every night.
She was terrified he’d come home the next morning and find an excuse to hit her. That period was torture, both physically and mentally.
But now, everything was different. After being with Xu Mu every night, she was so exhausted she fell asleep instantly.
"You should hurry and take a look at her," Ye Tong muttered, too embarrassed to stay. She fled to the kitchen like a startled rabbit. "I’ll go make dinner for you all."
"President Xu, since your wife has agreed, you should treat me now, right?" Xiao Ran flashed Xu Mu a smile.
"Ah, well, since my wife said yes, I suppose I’ll have to treat you," Xu Mu sighed lightly before turning and heading toward a nearby room.
Xiao Ran followed Xu Mu inside and glanced around. The room didn’t seem lived-in. "Does no one stay here?"
"This is the maid’s room, but we don’t have a maid. Ye Tong and I both work, and Ye Yu is in school—no one’s usually home."
Xu Mu walked to the bed and said, "Lie down. Expose the wound yourself."
Xiao Ran hesitated for a moment, then complied.
Even though she was bold and had taken many lives, doing this in front of a strange man still felt awkward.
But she knew—without Xu Mu’s treatment, she might end up crippled.
And if that happened, she’d be useless to the Dragon King.
With so many enemies, the moment they learned she was disabled, they’d come for her.
She didn’t want to die.
With that thought, Xiao Ran lay down, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and lifted the black garment beneath her coat.
After a brief pause, she fully revealed the black binding beneath.
Xu Mu frowned slightly. Somehow, it seemed even more impressive than Ye Tong’s.
But after the initial surprise, his attention shifted to her body.
Scars—knife wounds, bullet marks—six on her torso alone.
And on her right side, a deep crimson fist imprint.
Xu Mu began his examination, his intentions purely professional.
Xiao Ran kept her eyes shut, her breathing growing heavier.
"How bad is it?" she asked.
"Serious. Have you taken any medication?" Xu Mu inquired.
"Yes, but it didn’t work," Xiao Ran admitted.
"Of course it didn’t. The opponent’s Qi is still lodged in your lungs."
Xu Mu continued, "I can treat you. The fee—three eighth-grade heavenly treasures."
"Eighth-grade? Three of them? My life isn’t worth that much," Xiao Ran said helplessly.
"Your life is worth it," Xu Mu replied calmly.
"Thanks, but I really don’t have that," Xiao Ran shook her head.
She had once stumbled upon an eighth-grade treasure but had handed it over to the Dragon King.
"What about seventh-grade?"
"The most valuable thing I have is a fourth-grade Blood Mountain Yam," Xiao Ran said, meeting Xu Mu’s gaze with one eye. "I was saving it for my breakthrough."
Blood Mountain Yam.
The name triggered Xu Mu’s memory—its appearance and effects.
It looked like ordinary iron-rod yam but was red inside.
Its effect was straightforward: consuming it directly boosted Qi, primarily used for breakthroughs.
Though only fourth-grade, it was rarer than fifth or sixth-grade treasures.
Many struggled to break through on their own and needed that extra push.
The Blood Mountain Yam provided exactly that.
Of course, breakthroughs were effortless for Xu Mu. As long as he had enough cultivation points, he could advance instantly.
"Fine. For your sake, I’ll accept the Blood Mountain Yam in exchange for your life."
Xu Mu stood up. "Wait here. I’ll get the medicine."
With that, he left. Xiao Ran adjusted her clothes and lay there, waiting.
Nearly half an hour later, Xu Mu returned, holding a pitch-black pill the size of a ping-pong ball.
It was rough, tangled with root fibers—almost like dried dung.
Approaching Xiao Ran, Xu Mu took out freshly purchased silver needles and began stimulating the acupoints around her wound.
He knew exactly where to place them.
After two needles, Xiao Ran felt a burning sensation near the injury.
"I need to draw out the opponent’s energy. Otherwise, you’ll never heal."
Satisfied, Xu Mu removed one needle.
Instantly, the wound sprayed a thin stream of blood like a syringe.
Gradually, the spray weakened, reducing to a slow ooze.
The other needles followed the same procedure.
"Done. The pressure inside is gone. Eat this."
Xu Mu handed her the pill.
"What… is this huge thing?" Xiao Ran wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"Be grateful. There’s seventh-grade medicine in there," Xu Mu said before walking away.
Xiao Ran had no choice. She’d come this far—she had to trust him.
She took several bites to swallow the pill whole.
Once finished, she barely had time to adjust her clothes before drowsiness overtook her. She fell asleep on the spot.
---
Xu Mu, Ye Tong, and Ye Yu were eating dinner.
The sisters discussed where to go the next day.
Xu Mu, however, was preoccupied.
The reason he wanted heavenly treasures was to help Xu Ningbing become a martial artist.
According to the original plot, the Dragon King would soon return and be the one to elevate her. She’d be endlessly grateful.
Xu Mu had to act before the Dragon King.
Though not his blood sister, he couldn’t stand the thought of her becoming part of the Dragon King’s harem.
If he couldn’t find the treasures needed to awaken her potential, he’d have to use Destiny Points.
He had plenty to spare now.
After dinner, Ye Tong and Ye Yu continued planning their outing while Xu Mu lounged on the sofa, scrolling through his phone.
Suddenly, the bedroom door opened. Xiao Ran stepped out and approached Xu Mu.
"Did that pill have sleeping pills in it?" she demanded.
"It did contain a sedative. You probably haven’t slept that well in a long time."
Xu Mu glanced at her. "You didn’t think I’d take advantage of you while you were asleep, did you?"
"I—" Xiao Ran looked at Ye Tong and Ye Yu, then shook her head.
"How do you feel? If it's working, don't forget to give me the Blood Yam," Xu Mu continued.
"My injuries..."
Xiao Ran took several deep breaths and realized the pain in her chest had truly faded.
Just moments ago, she would have been writhing in agony, coughing violently.
Who exactly is this Xu Mu?
She had thought he was joking earlier, but now it seemed he might have actually used a seventh-grade heavenly treasure on her.
How could she ever repay such a debt?

lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...

ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!

nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...

grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)